Antarctic Research Centre#Antarctic Expeditions
{{short description|Research department in New Zealand}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox institute
| name = Antarctic Research Centre
| parent = Victoria University of Wellington
| established = {{start date and age|1972}}
| focus = Research in sedimentology, glaciology, paleoclimatology and Antarctic affairs.
| head_label = Director
| head = Associate Professor Robert McKay
| address = Cotton Building, Kelburn Parade, Kelburn
| city = Wellington
| country = New Zealand
| website = [https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/antarctic https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/antarctic]
}}The Antarctic Research Centre (ARC) is part of the School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences at Victoria University of Wellington. Its mission is to research "Antarctic climate history and processes, and their influence on the global climate system. The current director of the Antarctic Research Centre is Associate Professor Robert McKay.
Directors
- 1972–2007: Professor Peter Barrett
- 2008–2016: Professor Tim Naish
- 2017–2019: Professor Andrew Mackintosh
- 2020–present: Professor Robert McKay
History
In December 1957, geology students Barrie McKelvey and Peter Webb along with biologist Ron Balham conducted an expedition to the then unexplored McMurdo Dry Valleys via the Royal New Zealand Navy Antarctic support ship HMNZS Endeavour. This expedition formed the basic for the annual Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expeditions, which continue to the present day. Since this first expedition, over 400 staff and students have travelled to the continent.
The Antarctic Research Centre was established in 1972 as a part of the Department of Geology at Victoria University. The institutes first director was Professor Peter Barrett, who remained for 35 years before stepping down from the role in 2007. The centre won the New Zealand Prime Minister's Science Prize in 2020.
Research
Research conducted at ARC focuses on climate change, including the analysis of ocean floor sediment cores and ice cores, and glacial modeling. Researchers from ARC have studied different factors that impact polar ice, including {{CO2}} levels{{Cite journal|last1 = Golledge|first1 = N. R.|last2 = Kowalewski|first2 = D. E.|last3 = Naish|first3 = T. R.|last4 = Levy|first4 = R. H.|last5 = Fogwill|first5 = C. J.|last6 = Gasson|first6 = E. G. W.|title = The multi-millennial Antarctic commitment to future sea-level rise|journal = Nature|volume = 526|issue = 7573|pages = 421–425|doi = 10.1038/nature15706|pmid=26469052|year = 2015|s2cid = 205246177}} and oscillations in the Earth's orbit.{{Cite journal|last1 = Patterson|first1 = M. O.|last2 = McKay|first2 = R.|last3 = Naish|first3 = T.|last4 = Escutia|first4 = C.|last5 = Jimenez-Espejo|first5 = F. J.|last6 = Raymo|first6 = M. E.|last7 = Meyers|first7 = S. R.|last8 = Tauxe|first8 = L.|last9 = Brinkhuis|first9 = H.|title = Orbital forcing of the East Antarctic ice sheet during the Pliocene and Early Pleistocene|journal = Nature Geoscience|volume = 7|issue = 11|pages = 841–847|doi = 10.1038/ngeo2273|year = 2014|citeseerx = 10.1.1.719.335}}
= Antarctic Expeditions =
The ARC conducts annual research explorations, known as the Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expeditions (VUWAE), into Antarctica. The first expedition, which explored the McMurdo Dry Valleys, was undertaken on December 30, 1957, by Peter Webb and Barrie McKelvey, two third-year geology students. Since then, students and staff have made annual expeditions to conduct research in areas such as glacial history and climate change.
Expedition leaders have named a number of features in the area, including Eureka Spurs and Ghent Ridge.
Researchers that have been involved in VUWAEs include Harold Wellman, who discovered the Alpine Fault.
Expedition reports have been digitised by the New Zealand Electronic Text Collection.{{Cite web|title=Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expedition (VUWAE) Reports|url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-corpus-VUWAnta.html|website=nzetc.victoria.ac.nz|access-date=2020-05-28}}
References
Robert McKay, Victoria University of Wellington, 2020. https://people.wgtn.ac.nz/robert.mckay
| last = Gibson
| first = Eloise
| title = Alarm grows over big melt in Antarctica
| newspaper = New Zealand Herald
| date = July 4, 2009
| url = http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10582441
| access-date = 11 November 2011}}
| last1 = Naish
| first1 = Tim R.
| first2 = Ken J. |last2=Woolfe |first3=Peter J. |last3=Barrett |first4=Gary S. |last4=Wilson |first5=Cliff |last5=Atkins |first6=Steven M. |last6=Bohaty |first7=Christian J. |last7=Bücker |first8=Michele |last8=Claps |first9=Fred J. |last9=Davey |first10=Gavin B. |last10=Dunbar |first11=Alistair G. |last11=Dunn |first12=Chris R. |last12=Fielding |first13=Fabio |last13=Florindo |first14=Michael J. |last14=Hannah |first15=David M. |last15=Harwood |first16=Stuart A. |last16=Henrys |first17=Lawrence A. |last17=Krissek |first18=Mark |last18=Lavelle |first19=Jaap |last19=van der Meer |first20=William C. |last20=McIntosh |first21=Frank |last21=Niessen |first22=Sandra |last22=Passchier |first23=Ross D. |last23=Powell |first24=Andrew P. |last24=Roberts |first25=Leonardo |last25=Sagnotti |first26=Reed P. |last26=Scherer |first27=C. Percy |last27=Strong |first28=Franco |last28=Talarico |first29=Kenneth L. |last29=Verosub |first30=Giuliana |last30=Villa |first31=David K. |last31=Watkins |first32=Peter-N. |last32=Webb |first33=Thomas |last33=Wonik |author-link3=Peter Barrett (geologist)
| title = Orbitally induced oscillations in the East Antarctic ice sheet at the Oligocene/Miocene boundary
| journal = Nature
| volume = 413
| pages = 719–723
| date = 18 October 2001
| doi = 10.1038/35099534
| issue=6857 | pmid=11607028| s2cid = 4335866
| url = https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/geosciencefacpub/245
}}
| last=nathan
| first=simon
| title=Harold Wellman:a man who moved New Zealand
| publisher=Victoria University Press
| year=2005}}
{{Coord|41|17|23.97|S|174|46|5.56|E|display=title}}
{{Victoria University of Wellington}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Victoria University of Wellington
Category:Research institutes in New Zealand