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Life in a frozen ocean | Penguins, algae and the sea ice they depend upon

Panel discussion with Dr Natalie Robinson, Jacqui Stuart and Rose Foster-Dyer on Antarctic sea ice in a warming world and impacts for the ecosystem.

Every winter, the ocean surrounding Antarctica freezes solid at the surface, effectively doubling the size of the continent as viewed from space. This immense annual ‘pulse’ in our climate system is the heartbeat of the global ocean, helping to maintain a cool and habitable planet. It also conceals and protects a marine environment teeming with life. The Southern Ocean is extremely challenging for humans, and it is the most biologically-productive ocean on Earth. 

You are warmly invited to meet three scientists, Dr. Natalie Robinson, Jacqui Stuart and Rose Foster-Dyer, as they discuss their research into Antarctica’s changing ice-ocean system, the extraordinary marine micro-biology beneath the ice, and the iconic penguins that need the ice to breed. 

• Dr Natalie Robinson - Marine Physicist, National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research Ltd, NIWA, Wellington, specialising in the oceanic connection between Antarctica's two main types of ice.
  
• Jacqui Stuart - Biologist and ecologist in her final-year as a PhD student at the University of Victoria, Wellington, specialising in microalgae.
  
• Rose Foster-Dyer - PhD Candidate at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, studying emperor penguins and Weddell seals in the Ross Sea.

You will also meet filmmaker Vanessa Wells and see a trailer of 'The Climate Canary' the documentary due for release in 2024, featuring Natalie, Jacqui and their research.

Entry free
Bookings required. Please register at the link.