The video below was filmed by Antarctic researcher Dr Frederique Olivier onboard the recent voyage of the Australian Antarctic Division’s icebreaker the Research Supply Vessel Aurora Australis.

It encapsulates some of the incredible amount of work undertaken by researchers working in shifts continuously throughout the voyage to learn more about the Antarctic Ocean and its relationship to the rest of Earth’s environment.

The stop-motion clip focuses on the sampling of the ocean and the deployment of instrument packages attached to moorings at various stations, as the ship steams from Tasmania across the Southern Ocean towards the edge of Antarctica. 

This research aims to characterise water masses which, as they become colder and thus denser than surrounding water, sink turning into major bottom ocean currents. 

Samples of seawater are taken at various depths, as far down as ~5 km, which when processed will provide valuable data helping scientists understand processes at play in the Southern Ocean and its role in the global climate system.

In the video, researchers come and go from a metal instrument frame known as a CDT (conductivity, depth, temperature) rosette which holds long cylindrical containers known as “Niskin” sampling bottles.  This rosette is used to capture water samples from specific depths, and to log water properties as the rosette is lowered and raised through the water. This rosette was dropped 149 times during the 32-day voyage – at almost five different locations each day.

Once it is brought back on board, scientists draw water samples from the “Niskin” bottles. They test the samples for a range of properties, including levels of salt, oxygen, pH, nitrate and phosphate.

Importantly, they also analyse the samples to detect how much carbon dioxide is found in the water at various depths.  Although dissolved carbon is always present in sea water, studies[i] have established that levels of carbon in the ocean have been increasing significantly over the past century.

Researchers are interested in documenting the rate at which ocean carbon is increasing, which will help contribute to more accurate climate change predictions.

By testing other properties, such as salinity, temperature and chlorophyll, scientists can also learn how climate change and other environmental impacts will affect plankton, fish, coral and other marine organisms.

By characterising these properties of water at different depths we can designate ‘location tags’ that enable scientists to identify where the ocean water originated – whether it has travelled along a current from the North Atlantic ocean, or whether it originates from melting Antarctic ice bergs.

A recent article published by Dr Rintoul is based on data gathered on AAD expeditions and shows that the deepest water in the Antarctic Ocean is getting fresher, possibly due to increasing icemelt[ii]. One objective of the voyage is to test this idea.

In the second half of the film, staff set about assembling an Accoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) mooring. The mooring is dropped in a carefully selected site allowing for the ADCP to be in close proximity to the sea floor where it can measure the strength of deep ocean currents to help us understand the origin of waters moving from the Antarctic continental shelf into the deepest parts of the ocean, not only by measuring their properties but also their speeds.

Over the course of a year, it will continuously collect data by sending out soundwaves to measure water speed using the Doppler effect, in the same way police speed radars operate.

The ADCP will be collected during a future research voyage through the activation of a release command which will release the mooring and see it float to the surface to be collected by the research vessel.

The recent expedition was one of many, with results tabulated against data collected on similar AAD voyages from 1991 onwards.

For more information on the AAD or the research vessel Aurora Australis visit the AAD website.

[i] Sabine, C. L., R. A. Feely, N. Gruber, R. M. Key, K. Lee, J. L. Bullister, R. Wanninkhof, C. S. Wong, D. Wallace, B. Tilbrook, F. J. Millero, T. H. Peng, A. Kozyr, T. Ono, and A. F. Rios (2004), The oceanic sink for anthropogenic CO₂, Science, 305, 367-371, doi:10.1126/science.1097403.

[ii] Rintoul, S. R. (2007), Rapid freshening of Antarctic Bottom Water formed in the Indian and Pacific oceans, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L06606, doi:10.1029/2006GL028550.

To coincide with the 22^nd meeting of the Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC), two impact statements for the reports Australia and Food Security in a Changing World and Challenges at Energy-Water-Carbon Intersections, have been released.

The impact statements address the key themes and outline critical goals for each report.   

Both reports will be discussed today (4 February 2011) with the full Council.

A presentation on the reports will also be delivered at a public forum in the Parliament House Lecture Theatre from 2pm – 3.30pm on the same date.

The impact statements can be downloaded here:

Challenges at Energy-Water-Carbon Intersections Impact Statement

Food Security in a Changing World Impact Statement

Copies of the full report can be downloaded here:

Challenges at Energy-Water-Carbon Intersections Report

Food Security in a Changing World Report

Two Expert Working Group reports were released today on topics key to the sustainable future of Australia and its people: Australia and Food Security in a Changing World and Challenges at Energy-Water-Carbon Intersections.

The reports were developed at the behest of the Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council which provides independent advice on major national issues in science, engineering and technology and their contribution to the economic and social development of Australia.

While developed independently of each other, the two reports do overlap on a number of issues, including the impact of climate change, the importance of water, and the need to build a resilient Australia.

“We charged the cross-disciplinary, expert groups that authored these reports to take a holistic approach, to look at the big picture, and not just a single piece of the science-society interface.

“The independent, scientific reports they produced are ground-breaking and vital to the future of the nation.  I am delighted that they have been released today so that they can inform not only government decision-making, but also public discourse,” Australia’s former Chief Scientist and Executive Officer of PMSEIC, Professor Penny Sackett said

Challenges at Energy-Water-Carbon Intersections

The interplay between energy, water and carbon in human activities has been made more complex and more pressing by the need to mitigate climate change risk through reducing carbon emissions, whilst continuing to supply energy, water and nutritious and affordable food to a growing population.

“Our energy systems use water; water systems use energy; current energy generation is greenhouse gas (GHG)-intensive; and land uses for food, fibre and energy production all require water.

“Solutions in any one area must take into account implications for the others.  Ideally solutions, whether on the scale of national governments, cities, or rural areas, would be developed integrally. 

“For example, traditional desalination to increase urban water supplies may significantly add to GHG emissions, which can exacerbate climate change, “Professor Sackett said.

A key recommendation of the PMSEIC energy-water-carbon report is to implement consistent principles for the accounting and pricing such as water, energy and carbon emissions into the atmosphere.  

“Consistent accounting and pricing principles are required to ensure our finite resources are used effectively, efficiently, and in ways that are consistent with long-term sustainability and resilience. 

“The implementation of integrated smart networks for energy and water, which is also recommended in the report, will go a long way in enabling the application of these principles,” Professor Sackett remarked.

Another set of recommendations put forward in the report describes positive steps to achieve enhanced resilience and sustainability of our built environments and landscapes. 

“Essentially what this means is that Australia, as a nation composed of individual communities linked by common challenges of water, energy and climate, should develop the ability to recover from shocks such as droughts, floods, and heatwaves, while adapting through learning and innovation, and undergoing transformation as required,” Professor Sackett explained.

Australia and Food Security in a Changing World

Australia is currently a net exporter of food, with considerable expertise in food production under resource constraints and in the face of climate variability. However the PMSEIC report suggests increased challenges to this important Australian industry including: land degradation, population growth, long-term climate change, competition for arable land, scarcity of water, and nutrient and energy availability.

“Food security does not just mean having enough food in a typical year.  It means having reliable and sustainable access to acceptable, nutritious, and affordable food at all times.     

“Australians expect this security, and about 40 million non-Australians internationally rely on our country to secure their food as well.”

“The food security report recommends a visionary approach that brings together regulatory and funding agencies, research organisations and industry, to achieve strong outcomes in economic growth and population health centred on food.

“These steps include urgent new investment in food science and technology that will spur future transformational change in healthy and efficient food production; increasing our human capacity to provide a suitably skilled workforce for the food sector; and translating community awareness of food into better food choices,” Professor Sackett said.

Both expert reports address long-term, transformational issues for Australia that affect the whole nation and thus will require a whole-of-government response.  They will be discussed further with the Prime Minister and other Council members at the next PMSEIC meeting, scheduled for 4 February 2011.

Read Australia and Food Security in a Changing World

Read Challenges at Energy-Water-Carbon Intersections

By altering water temperature or current in a pool, bath or shower, the human body responds in a variety of ways – including fluctuations in core temperature, heart rate and metabolism and the widening (dilation) or constriction of blood vessels.

This use of water to improve body recovery is known as hydrotherapy and is becoming one of the most widely used practices in elite sport. Here, we find out how it works.

Dr Jo Vaile is only 28 years old but has already established a strong career as a Senior Recovery Physiologist for the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). She uses a wide range of recovery techniques with AIS athletes such as hydrotherapy, compression and stretching to help elite Australian athletes perform the best their bodies are capable of.

Dr Jo Vaile of the AIS

“Exercise physiology is about understanding the complexities of how the body responds and adapts to the stress of exercise and how we can push the human body to new limits to enhance the likelihood of success,” Dr Vaile said.

“In sport, we constantly need to be ahead of the competition in order to succeed at an elite level where that one percent advantage over the opposition will make a difference between gold and silver,” she said.

In her day to day job, Dr Vaile individually assesses athlete’s physiological recovery requirements to ensure they can compete and train at their best one hundred per cent of the time.

“I love the challenge of creating a gold medal environment for each of the athletes I work with, while assessing and monitoring the body’s response to exercise to maximise their performance,” she said.

She is also responsible for conducting research, mainly into the effective use of hydrotherapy, explained below.

The human body responds to water immersion with changes in heart rate, blood pressure and blood flow.

Exposure to cold water causes a decrease in core body and tissue temperature which results in a reduction in blood flow to the extremities (muscles, hands, feet) because the body is trying to protect itself and conserve ‘body heat’.  To minimise the blood returning to the extremities the blood vessels constrict, heart rate slows down and blood pressure increases due to the constricted blood vessels.

At the AIS, athletes use cold water immersion in pools between 10-15 degrees Celsius, using the cold water to help decrease muscle inflammation, spasm and pain.

The 'ice-bath', normally kept at 10 degrees Celcius

In warm water, the body is exposed to heat which causes dilation of the blood vessels near the surface of the skin. The core body temperature starts increases and redirects more blood to the extremities. The dilation of blood vessels lowers blood pressure by allowing the blood to flow more freely with less resistance.

At the AIS however, hot water is rarely used on its own. In fact, one of the most effective athlete recovery systems to date is alternating immersion in hot and cold water.

According to Dr Vaile, ‘contrast water therapy’ can reduce swelling and muscle pain through a pumping action which is created by alternating blood vessel constriction and dilation. The pumping action helps to flush out waste products from the muscles that build up during exercise, such as lactic acid and minimises muscle tear.

“Contrast water therapy may bring about changes to tissue temperature, blood flow, blood flow distribution, may reduce muscle spasm, hyperaemia of superficial blood vessels and inflammation, as well as improving the range of motion and flexibility,” she said.

The hot-cold walk through showers of the AIS

In one recent study of twelve elite male cyclists, the athletes were put through rigorous training with the only difference being their recovery strategy. Over five days, the athletes completed four experimental trials differing only in recovery intervention: cold water immersion, hot water immersion, contrast water therapy, or passive recovery.

The study found that both sprint and time trial performance were enhanced when athletes utilised both cold water immersion and contrast water therapy, in comparison to hot water immersion and passive recovery. 

“Overall, the study found that cold water immersion and contrast water therapy improved recovery from high-intensity cycling when compared to hot water immersion and passive recovery, with athletes better able to maintain performance across a five-day period,” Dr Vaile said.

Dr Vaile is fascinated by hydrotherapy and after completing her Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science, and went on to complete her PhD in the area.

“So many athletes implement hydrotherapy for recovery in the hope of assisting the recovery of muscle damage or fatigue and I think its fascinating that hydrotherapy has the potential to be beneficial, not only in terms of recovery, but also in improving  subsequent performance,” she said,

Dr Vaile is currently in the UK with the Rollers and Gliders – the Australian Men’s and Women’s wheelchair basketball team who are competing in the World Championships.

“Paralympic athletes are truly elite, they train and compete like any other athlete, but on top of that they face challenges every day in both sport and life due to their specific disability.”

Dr Vaile’s research into hydrotherapy earned her the European College of Sports Science Young Investigator Award and the John Sutton Best New Investigator Award at the Sports Medicine Australia Conference.