Intrepid Science Blog

There’s an old sailor’s expression: “Below 40 degrees south there is no law, below 50 degrees south there is no God.” Since the sixteenth century, sailors have spoken in awe of the violent westerly winds and seas they experienced fighting their way across the Southern Ocean. With few landmasses to slow them down, the winds found across 40 degrees latitude often reach speeds of twenty-five knots—about 40 percent stronger than their northern hemisphere counterparts—earning them the title the “roaring forties.” As shipping pushed farther south, explorers realized that these winds form part of a vast storm belt that includes the “furious fifties” and “screaming sixties,” names more reminiscent of terrible rock bands than a major part of our planet’s circulation system. The early hunters and traders didn’t understand it at the time, but these winds are created by a procession of low-pressure systems carried east by the jet stream, a river of cold air hurtling and twisting round the Antarct...

Just a century ago a voyage to the subantarctic islands was a journey into the unknown. Tales of archipelagos home to thriving seal and penguin colonies and surrounded by vast numbers of whales promised riches to those who dared head south. But getting there was an entirely different matter. Ships literally sailed off the edge off the map in their quest for profit. The ‘Roaring Forties’ and ‘Furious Fifty’ winds made the Southern Ocean a dangerous place to venture in small wooden craft, while the islands were often poorly mapped or non-existent. Today the region offers wealth of a different sort to scientists. Yesterday, a team of five of us returned from a three week voyage to the Southern Ocean. Building on the scientific findings of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition 2013-2014 , we set out from the University of New South Wales to explore the changing climate and environment of the New Zealand subantarctic islands Campbell and Auckland. These biological hotspots straddle 50...

In January 1910, the great scientist and explorer Douglas Mawson wrote in his diary ‘ Arrival in London. Interview with Captain Scott. He is surprised I am not just coming to enlist with him. I ask him has he thought of the coast W. of C. Adare. He said that he had not. ’ As an Antarctic veteran only 27 years of age, Mawson was dubious of the scientific value of reaching the Pole . Turning the British leader Scott down, Mawson was determined to explore the region south of Australia. There were so many questions, so little data. Most atlases had the bottom third of the Southern Hemisphere as a blank, white space, with ‘ Unexplored ’ stamped all over it. But the explorers, scientists and cartographers of the early twentieth century did not battle sub-zero temperatures and ice-scarred landscapes just to conquer land, bag a pole or grow an impressive beard. These expeditionary teams — even those intent on scoring a geographical first — went south to scientifically explore a new conti...

Bringing the Antarctic a little closer to home is a major reason for the Australasian Antarctic Expedition 2013-2014 . You can get involved in all manner of ways. For those keen to have a hand in the science programme and join us in the south, berths are for sale . Working with Commonwealth Bank as sponsors of this year’s Doodle 4 Google expedition prize, we are also taking a winning teacher from both Australia and New Zealand as part of the team. And for those who prefer warmer climes but still want to explore this special part of the world, you can take part in the free Google+ Hangouts on Air , where we will be streaming live footage of the journey and answering questions about our findings.  An elephant seal in the sub-Antarctic But now we have even more fabulous news. One lucky CommBank customer and a friend have the chance to win a place on the first leg of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition 2013-2014 , and follow in the footsteps of the great scientist and exp...