Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies

Photos by Elliot Styles and Karina Sorrell

Seabirds foraging at sea face deadly threats from eating plastics & being caught up in fisheries bycatch. A new Honours study reveals colour influences their food choices, and avoiding preferred colours in items like fishing gear & weather balloons could prevent seabird deaths🪶 tinyurl.com/k29kxyh6

IMAS diver Tyson Bessell releasing handfish. Credit: Francisco Albergoli

Assoc Prof Andrew Trotter inspecting handfish before release into the wild. Credit: Jemina Stuart-Smith

Our super happy IMAS handfish dive & aquaculture team after releasing the 65 red handfish to the wild. Credit: Jeremy Smith

In a major step for marine conservation, IMAS scientists have released 65 captive-raised red handfish into the wild! It was an exciting moment after an incredible effort by many people over many years - and it's given the red handfish the best possible chance of survival: tinyurl.com/mpbyb56z

Two of our IMAS scientists will soon embark on a multi-year journey with other leading climate experts to draft the 7th #IPCC #climatereport. Profs Melissa Hart & Gretta Pecl will be lead authors for Working Group II: Impacts, Adaptation & Vulnerability 🪼 www.ipcc.ch/2025/08/18/pr-ar7-authors/ 🪸

Andrew Sullivan's research is part of an investigation into how countries are managing their ocean spaces

School of fish. Credit: Amanda Cotton | Ocean Image Bank

From the fjords of Norway to the reefs of Bali, Andrew Sullivan’s PhD with IMAS @utas.edu.au is taking him around the world as he investigates how nations are developing policy for a sustainable ocean - and it will help inform future ocean governance. Discover more: tinyurl.com/53xf5svj

1️⃣ "Antarctica might seem a long way away, but really the changes that happen there have consequences for everyone on the planet." — Nerilie Abram, AAD Chief Scientist, ABC Radio

🌊 Rising seas are a planetary impact of global heating. The contribution of melting ice in Antarctica is growing.

🎞️ NASA

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.

2️⃣ But it's much more than sea-level rise.

" #Antarctica has long been seen as a remote, unchanging environment. Not any more. The ice-covered continent and the surrounding Southern Ocean are undergoing abrupt and alarming changes" — @aunz.theconversation.com

▶️ theconversation.com/from-sea-ice...

Emerging evidence of abrupt changes in the Antarctic environment Nature - Abrupt changes are developing across Antarctica’s ice, ocean and biological systems; some of these changes are intensifying faster than equivalent Arctic changes, potentially...

3️⃣ 'Emerging evidence of abrupt changes in the Antarctic environment' is published in nature.com today, led by @climatenerilie.bsky.social with authors from @antarcticsciaus.bsky.social, @arcsaef.bsky.social, AAD, @imas-utas.bsky.social, @ccrc.bsky.social & other key research groups.

▶️ rdcu.be/eBCJA

IMAS PhD candidate, Colette Appert trialling the best tag attachment on an adult Kerguelen Sandpaper Skate. (Photo: Jaimie Cleeland)

The Kerguelen Sandpaper Skate is native to Heard and McDonald Islands in the Southern Ocean, and its slow growth and maturation make it highly susceptible to fishing pressure. Photo: Measuring a deceased juvenile Skate by Colette Appert

Trialling a pop-up archival satellite tag attachment on the tail of a deceased Skate. (Photo: Colette Appert)

Deep-sea skates caught accidentally in Southern Ocean fisheries are usually released if they appear unharmed. But their chances of survival after release were unclear until now. IMAS PhD research shows only 1 in 4 survive, and it will improve skate bycatch mmt strategies doi.org/10.1098/rspb...

@utas.edu.au @sbtebbett.bsky.social @jpk-iii.bsky.social @reeflifesurvey.bsky.social

Urchin barrens in NE Tasmania. Credit: Matt Testoni IMAS

Urchin barrens in NE New Zealand. Credit: Crispin Middleton | SeacologyNZ

A Trans-Tasman collaboration between IMAS & @aucklanduni.bsky.social researchers shows Longspined Sea Urchins are a huge threat to NE #NewZealand marine ecosystems. And as the region is at lower latitudes, the impact there could outstrip what we've seen in #Tasmania.

Study: doi.org/10.1016/j.je...

How do international Antarctic partnerships benefit the life and work of researchers? IMAS/AAPP researcher Dr Alex Fraser said they are "a fantastic way to broaden collaborative networks, especially for young scientists."

❄️ tinyurl.com/suac8efs

@antarctic.bsky.social @utas.edu.au

"We are addressing a critical challenge": the future of marine ecosystem modelling - ACEAS “We are addressing a critical challenge”: the future of marine ecosystem modelling Marine ecosystem researchers from around the world have gathered in Hobart to discuss the big challenges facing those...

"We are addressing a critical challenge": the future of marine ecosystem modelling 🐟 - @fishmarinemip.bsky.social

Find out what happens when dozens of marine ecosystem specialists from around the world come together ⬇️

@imas-utas.bsky.social | @utas.edu.au | @antarctic.bsky.social

bit.ly/4f3EaXD

#Antarctic sea ice is:

⚙️ a global climate engine
☂️ a cooling sunshade
🌀 a pumphouse for currents
🧊 a vast verandah for life
♻️ one of the largest seasonal cycles on Earth
🌬️ highly sensitive to climate variability

🌊 What happens when there's less sea ice?
aapp.shorthandstories.com/a-world-with...

Students using the microscope in the lab. Credit: Adam Gibson

Students using the microscope in the lab. Credit: Adam Gibson

Galapagos Sharks captured by IMAS researchers using baited remote under video (BRUV)

For Megan Chang, the Professional Masters stream at IMAS was an exciting pathway to a career in the aquaculture industry.

By turning recycled marine samples into a classroom resource, Megan Chang is creating educational tools for the next generation of fisheries scientists. Megan reused old research samples and materials, including underwater footage. See what she did 👉 tinyurl.com/mrx98y3b

A marine science pioneer, an emerging leader & a scientist with a passion for elevating Indigenous perspectives in marine conservation have taken centre stage as Australian Marine Sciences Association award recipients this year. Dive in to find out what inspires them - and us! tinyurl.com/5utrdvnj

Now is not the time to put funding on ice. Australian Antarctic field programs should be ambitious as the rule not the exception, writes Professor Matt King in today's Mercury Newspaper, republished here: tinyurl.com/2zhpbryk

@antarcticsciaus.bsky.social @utas.edu.au @deformedearth.bsky.social

Antarctic summer sea ice is at record lows. Here’s how it will harm the planet – and us New research explores the wide-ranging consequences of record low summer sea ice in Antarctica. From more ocean warming to extra icebergs, it’s bad news we must hear.

Recent record summer lows in Antarctic sea ice are a window into a future warmer climate with more extreme events, but what impacts can we expect? New research clearly shows that faster action on climate change is vital to prevent even more drastic changes in the future: tinyurl.com/Low-summer-s...

Seas the opportunity 🚢 Applications for our 2026 CAPSTAN voyages are now open!

This exciting at-sea experience for university students & trainers is all happening aboard CSIRO's research vessel #RVInvestigator, with two voyage opportunities in 2026.

Apply now: www.csiro.au/capstan

Scientists analyse first samples from ancient Antarctic ice core Australian scientists have started analysing the first batch of samples from the 'Million Year Ice Core' project.

🌏 climate history: AAPP has a key role in the Million Year Ice Core project with the Australian Antarctic Division — develop a state-of-the-art lab @imas-utas.bsky.social in Hobart to analyse the chemistry of air bubbles in ice cores retrieved from #Antarctica.

🧊 www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06...

IMAS / AAPP sea-ice researcher @edoddridge.bsky.social has been awarded the prestigious Dr Peter Smith Medal by The Royal Society of Tasmania, in recognition of his outstanding research on sea-ice changes around Antarctica.
✨Read more: tinyurl.com/5n93seke
📸 Credit Bernard Pryor OAM. @utas.edu.au

What can the ancient rocks in the Denman region tell us?
Go deeper with Prof Jo Whittaker (IMAS) and Dr Karin Orth (UTAS) to discover what lies beneath, and how ancient rocks hold vital clues about how fast the Denman Glacier is melting ❄️ @utas.edu.au

Underwater camera captures sea life. Credit: IMAS

Six actions for ecologists in times of planetary crisis infographic.

Diver among the seaweed. Credit: Scott Ling

IMAS and Centre for Marine Socioecology (CMS) Professor Gretta Pecl AM

Unprecedented biodiversity loss and climate collapse are threatening livelihoods across the globe. Ecologists have been critical to uncovering the drivers of biodiversity decline. A new study outlines six actions for ecologists in a time of global environmental crisis: tinyurl.com/5n874r97

Primary school students learning about the ocean. Credit: Stefan Andrews | Great Southern Reef Foundation and Deakin University

A fever of rays. Photo: Amanda Cotton | Ocean Image Bank

Cover image: Credit Jordan Robbins | Ocean Image Bank

Professor Gretta Pecl AM showing two students a sample at the Beaker Street SquidFest in Tasmania. Credit: IMAS

Ocean literacy is an understanding of the ocean’s influence on us and our influence on it. It empowers communities to make informed decisions about the ocean. The need for ocean literacy is increasing in Australia and abroad, with researchers calling for a national strategy: tinyurl.com/3cmnvs4v

YouTube video by National Geographic Society National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Ocean Expeditions

As part of National Geographic Society & Rolex #PerpetualPlanet Ocean Expeditions, our IMAS ecologist Dr Jane Younger investigated emerging diseases in Antarctic wildlife aboard the R/V Falkor (too) in collaboration with the Schmidt Ocean Institute:🐧 youtu.be/PWV9O8un9P4

More info: bit.ly/3FGjgjX

YouTube video by ACEAS Voyage of Discovery: mapping the Antarctic sea floor

"There are no images from this part of the Antarctic coastline, this is complete voyage of discovery stuff for us," said IMAS/ACEAS Adjunct Prof Emeritus Craig Johnson.

Watch the joy & science of mapping sea floor communities around the Denman Glacier for the very first time youtu.be/gzh5zf73yy4

Antarctica has its own ‘shield’ against warm water – but this could now be under threat The Antarctic Slope Current shields Antarctica from warm waters. But new research shows meltwater is speeding up the current, which could make it more unstable.

A little-known ocean current surrounds Antarctica & shields it from warm water further north. Once a steadfast guardian of the icy continent, the Antarctic Slope Current is being transformed by the ice it protects. And it's putting the continent’s last line of defence at risk tinyurl.com/y36mwfje

Giant kelp in Tasmania. Credit: Hunter Forbes

Aerial view of the Alginates Australia kelp processing factory near Orford, Tasmania (Tasmanian Archives: AB713/1/12112).

Vessel Alga harvesting giant kelp near Orford on the east coast of Tasmania (Tasmanian Archives PH30/1/8612).

Our scientists have explored the history, methods & scale of a largely forgotten industry – commercial giant kelp wild harvesting. Harvested in Tasmania from 1964-1973, it would close within a decade. Knowing why provides insights to help future-proof seaweed industries today🌿 tinyurl.com/yx5svfek

From East Antarctica to the world: @antarcticsciaus.bsky.social-funded outreach program goes global! Celebrating the power of connection through science on the Denman Marine Voyage 🌏 tinyurl.com/4bw335z3

📸 Antarctic & ice by Pete Harmsen for AAD, outreach by Katharina Hochmuth ACEAS

Professor Nicole Webster FAA. Credit: AAD

IMAS Executive Director, Prof Nicole Webster, has been elected as a Fellow of the #AustralianAcademyofScience in recognition of her dedication to driving innovative research for ocean and climate solutions - and her ocean passion inspires us all! Congratulations Prof Webster! tinyurl.com/mwtha8j3

Professor Philip Boyd said he is "honoured to be elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society, and especially proud of this recognition for our important work to better understand the interactions between ocean biogeochemistry, Earth's carbon cycle, and climate".

Prof Boyd led the SOLACE voyage in 2020/2021, which set out to capture a detailed picture of how plant life in the Southern Ocean helps remove carbon dioxide from the Earth’s atmosphere. Image: Robert Strzepek AAPP

Huge congrats to our oceanographer Prof Philip Boyd who's been recognised for his ocean science leadership. He is among over 90 outstanding researchers from across the world who've been elected to the prestigious Fellowship of The Royal Society, UK’s nat'l academy of sciences: tinyurl.com/35dushm4