UNSW Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Air temperatures over Antarctica have soared 35ºC above average. What does this unusual event mean for Australia? The stratospheric polar vortex high above Antarctica has rapidly heated up. These sudden bursts of heat can bring rapid weather changes in Australia

CCRC Senior Research Fellow @drjucker.bsky.social explains in this Conversation article what is happening above Antarctica right now, and how it might impact us: theconversation.com/air-temperat...
@unswbees.bsky.social

Breaking the ice: why study Antarctica? From unique wildlife to resilient microbes, world-changing climate dynamics to untapped biotechnological potential – four UNSW scientists outline what makes Antarctica a laboratory like no other.

UNSW scientists outline what makes Antarctica a laboratory like no other news.unsw.edu.au/en/breaking-...

Excited to share that we’re part of ANZIC! This collaboration means our researchers (and students!) get a seat at the table for international drilling expeditions — bringing home samples and discoveries that shape our understanding of Earth. www.iodp.org.au/2025/09/18/1...

We’re honoured to have won the Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Environmental Research! Huge thanks to our amazing partners Reef Design Lab, global collaborators, and the many supporters who made this possible. It was incredible to celebrate alongside so many of the nation’s leading scientists!

🏆 Dr Aaron Eger from @unsw.edu.au is awarded the Eureka Prize for Emerging Leader in Science. #EurekaPrizes

Learn more: youtu.be/M06od5P7s1s

🏆 @livingseawalls.bsky.social is awarded the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Eureka Prize for Environmental Research: youtu.be/l76BDpJ7HU4

#EurekaPrizes @sims-australia.bsky.social @melaniejbishop.bsky.social @cariocamayer.bsky.social @marialvozzo.bsky.social

Sexual conflict as a constraint on asexual reproduction: an empirical review Theory predicts that facultatively asexual animals, which can leverage the advantages of both sexual and asexual reproduction, should outcompete obligately sexual and obligately asexual animals. Yet,....

Another chapter of my PhD at @unswbees.bsky.social is out!! 🎉 #OpenAccess with
@nathwilliamb.bsky.social & Russell Bonduriansky in Biological Reviews @camphilsoc.bsky.social
👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

We are hosting a Masterclass for our partners and stakeholders from government and industry! Deepening your knowledge and understanding of weather and climate science! 🎓

📌 UNSW Law Theatre, Sydney
⏱️ Tue 2 Sep: 9:30am-5pm
💵 Free to attend
Register here: lnkd.in/gCUMhpuv
Agenda here: lnkd.in/gHdZHMj8

From sea ice to ocean currents, Antarctica is now undergoing abrupt changes – and we’ll all feel them The vast ice of Antarctica has long seemed impregnable. But sudden changes are arriving – from shrinking sea ice to melting ice sheets and slowing ocean currents.

From sea ice to ocean currents, Antarctica is now undergoing abrupt changes – with global ramifications theconversation.com/from-sea-ice...

Dingoes are not domestic dogs – new evidence shows these native canines are on their own evolutionary path

New research suggests dingoes are distinct enough to have their own scientific name. If this is accepted, it will have far-reaching consequences.

Science in the Swamp 2025 - National Science Week Join us on Sunday 17 August for Science in the Swamp – a FREE family fun day out at Centennial Park! Loch Avenue South will transform into a pop−up village of scientific wonder this National Science W...

On today - come and see us in Centennial Park to learn more about UNSW Science www.scienceweek.net.au/event/scienc...

We are honoured to announce that we are a 2025 #EurekaPrizes finalist for Environmental Research!

@eurekaprizes.bsky.social are Australia's peak scientific awards, recognising the achievements of researchers across all scientific disciplines.

Check it out!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yrR...

Oceans are becoming hotter, long-term trends show - ABC listen Matthew England is studying global changes in ocean heat and circulation. The AMOC - the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation is showing signs of slowing, and as it does, impacts are being felt...

This week I joined the wonderful Robyn Williams on the ABC Science Show to discuss our recent North Atlantic Nature paper plus a range of other topics — marine heat waves, polar vortex wobbles, the AMOC, and the deep cost of climate inaction. Part 2 airs next week.  
www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Will hailstorms get worse with climate change? What causes hailstorms, where they hits hardest, and how climate change affects them. Dr Tim Raupach unpacks the science, risks and modelling on Totally Cooked.

I had the pleasure of joining @sarahinscience.bsky.social and @instrachan.bsky.social on the Totally Cooked podcast from @21stcenturyweather.bsky.social to talk about hail - how it forms, where it hits, and how climate change might affect it. Listen here: 21centuryweather.org.au/engage/total...

Rockabye baby: the ‘love songs’ of lonely leopard seals resemble human nursery rhymes Leopard seals in Antarctica live solitary lives. But the simple patterns of their underwater song, akin to nursery rhymes, bring mates from across the seas.

Thrilled to see my work featured in @aunz.theconversation.com !!! 🦭🎶

Rockabye baby: the ‘love songs’ of lonely leopard seals resemble human nursery rhymes
theconversation.com/rockabye-bab...

Outstanding to see three finalists for the 2025 Eureka Prizes from @unswbees.bsky.social - #3 Jodi Rowley who has done so much for conservation and understanding of our threatened frog species

Outstanding to see three finalists for the 2025 Eureka Prizes from @unswbees.bsky.social - #2 Aaron Eger, Founder of kelpforest.alliance.com

Outstanding to see three finalists for the 2025 Eureka Prizes from @unswbees.bsky.social - #1 @cariocamayer.bsky.social and team with the fantastic @livingseawalls.bsky.social project

As US climate data-gathering is gutted, Australian forecasting is now at real risk

For decades, Australia has relied on data from US satellites, floats and monitoring programs. Planned deep cuts put Australian forecasting at risk.

Citizen science behind countless new discoveries An international team of researchers, including two from UNSW, have quantified the impact community driven nature identification app iNaturalist is having on scientific research.

www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/new...

Effects of phylogenetic distance, niche overlap and habitat alteration on spatial co-occurrence patterns in Neotropical bats and birds | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Ecological interactions influence which species can coexist locally, but assessing the effects of interactions on species distributions at landscape to regional scales has proven challenging. Here, we...

Pleased to share that I have a new paper out today. This paper took over seven years to complete but we are very pleased with the outcome!
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

Changes in Hail Damage Potential in Major Australian Cities With Global Warming Hail damage increases with larger hailstones or stronger coincident winds, yet climate change effects on these factors remain uncertain Convection-permitting downscaled simulations projected chan...

New paper! Dr Joanna Aldridge and I simulated hailstorms in a warmer world over major Australian cities. We project increased hailstone size around Sydney/Canberra, Melbourne and Perth, and increased frequency around Sydney/Canberra and Brisbane. agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...

Brace yourself for ‘giant hail’ as storms increase along east coast As the atmosphere becomes warmer and wetter, some Australian cities will face more hailstorms while others will be hit with larger stones as well.

Predictions of more damaging hail for our big cities. Latest research from @timraupach.com @ccrc.bsky.social

UNSW ecologist awarded 2025 International Cosmos Prize Professor David Keith joins Sir David Attenborough and Dr Jane Goodall as a recipient of the prestigious award, recognised for advancing a future where humanity and nature can thrive together.

Professor David Keith has been awarded the 2025 International Cosmos Prize, one of the world’s most esteemed honours in environmental and ecological research.

Feral-free zones spark small mammal boom in Australian desert A 26-year study at the Arid Recovery Reserve reveals how removing invasive predators like cats and foxes triggers a dramatic reshaping of desert small mammal communities.

Long-term evidence for the benefits of feral removal in our arid zone. New paper from Katherine Moseby et al. in Proc Royal Soc B - royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... #wildoz

Counterintuitive Range Shifts May Be Explained by Climate Induced Changes in Biotic Interactions Climate change is expected to drive species uphill, poleward or into deeper waters. Yet many are shifting in toward the equator, downhill or to shallower waters, which is opposite to the expected dir...

🌎 My first paper is out in @globalchangebio.bsky.social ! We propose the Interaction Opportunists Hypothesis: changes in biotic interactions may drive species downhill, equatorward, or to shallower waters under #ClimateChange. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #RangeShifts #Ecology

Marine heatwaves as hot spots of climate change and impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services - Nature Reviews Biodiversity Marine heatwaves (MHWs) have become more intense and widespread globally, affecting species, ecosystems and people. After summarizing how and why MHWs are changing, this Review explores these impacts ...

New global review in Nature Reviews Biodiversity, incl. CCRC’s Alex Sen Gupta, shows marine heatwaves are reshaping ecosystems from coral bleaching to kelp loss disrupting fisheries,food webs & coastal livelihoods. Urgent need to cut emissions, build resilience & adapt fast.
doi.org/10.1038/s443....

Mauna Loa Observatory captured the reality of climate change. The US plans to shut it down Cutting data climate collection – as the Trump administration is now trying to do – is like breaking a thermometer to avoid knowing you’ve got a fever.

The Mauna Loa Observatory, home of the iconic Keeling Curve is at risk of shutdown. A new Conversation piece by CCRC's Alex Sen Gupta, @katrinmeissner.bsky.social & @timraupach.com explains why this matters for climate science. Don’t miss it.

theconversation.com/mauna-loa-ob...