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Australian scientists warn of 'crisis' in Antarctic research due to funding cliff
Australian scientists are warning of a "crisis" in Antarctic research due to the impact of an impending funding cliff.
Much of Australia's Antarctic research is overseen by three university-led programs, all of which have funding that is due to expire on a set date over the coming years.
The Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) is facing the most imminent threat, with its funding due to run out within 12 months, despite a request for a two-year extension.
ACEAS, which supports dozens of early career researchers and PhD students, focuses on climate risks in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, including sea level rise and changes to weather systems.
It was set up in late 2021 after receiving $20 million over three years from the Australian Research Council — about half the amount and timeframe ACEAS had originally requested in 2019.
Its program was subsequently impacted by delays caused by the pandemic and logistical issues with the RSV Nuyina icebreaker, prompting ACEAS to stretch out its limited funding until mid-next year.
Professor King said the looming funding cliff was already having several detrimental effects.
One of them, he said, was an inability to take full advantage of the data and samples captured during the Nuyina's first-ever dedicated marine science voyage to Antarctica earlier this year.
"The things that we really want to target are going to require multiple years of analysis — things that we expected to be able to do within the lifetime of the original proposal," he said.
"But now, because of delays and shortened funding cycles, we're not able to do those things and so some of those things will be left on the shelf."
Another problem, he said, was the potential loss of some of Australia's next generation of Antarctic researchers, whose contracts will expire when ACEAS's funding ends.
He said about a dozen members of his team had already moved on to other secure jobs.
Marine geophysicist Katharina Hochmuth was one of 60 scientists, including 33 from ACEAS, who took part in the Nuyina's recent voyage to the edge of the Denman Glacier.
The trip allowed them to undertake critical mapping of the sea floor and collect sediment cores and rock samples that will help scientists better understand the speed and scale of the glacier's retreat.
But Dr Hochmuth said she and her colleagues were facing the prospect of not having jobs at ACEAS beyond the middle of next year.
"Given the lead up of that voyage, and how much money has been invested, [we] should also give the scientists the appropriate time to actually process the data correctly, without any rush, to get the best outcomes," she said.
Marine ecologist David Green, from ACEAS, was also on the voyage as part of a seal tagging team.
The team's aim was to attach tracking devices onto the animals to monitor underwater conditions, including salinity and temperature at different depths in poorly observed areas.
"It was an incredibly valuable opportunity for us to get out there," Dr Green said.
But like others, he said short-term contracts made it difficult for researchers to focus on ambitious, long-term science.
A government-commissioned review by the Australian Antarctic Science Council in 2023 found the current funding model was "clearly not fit for purpose".
"The uncertainty and discontinuity of terminating funding measures is anathema to impactful scientific research," it said.
In addition to ACEAS, the other two programs with funding that is set to expire are Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future (SAEF) and the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership (AAPP).
SAEF, which received $37 million over seven years, is due to run out of money in 2028, while AAPP, which is funded with $50 million over 10 years, is set to lose its funding in 2029.
The 2023 review recommended ongoing funding at current levels, indexed to inflation.
The push for funding certainty was backed by a Labor-chaired parliamentary inquiry into the importance of Antarctica to Australia's national interest, which released its findings in February.
Among the inquiry's 13 recommendations was the implementation of ongoing funding by the end of this year.
It also called for additional funding for the development and publication of research papers based on data and samples retrieved during the Denman Glacier campaign, and other Antarctic projects.
The government is yet to respond to the inquiry's recommendations but is expected to do so once parliament returns following the recent federal election.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the environment department said the government had invested significantly in Antarctic-related programs over recent years.
"The Australian government has committed $1.28 billion in new funding for the Antarctic Program, including $804.4 million in new expense funding from 2022-23 for 10 years to strengthen Australia's strategic and scientific capabilities in the Antarctic region," the spokesperson said.
Professor King said it was vital to ensure the continuity of Antarctic research at a time when the continent was undergoing significant change that will have long-term impacts on Australia, and beyond.
"It frightens me, to be honest, to know that there are areas out there [in Antarctica] that we absolutely know nothing about," he said.
"And so we have to start planning those [research projects], and if we don't have the people, well, we can't even do the planning work."
The Australian Antarctic Division has its own science branch which is not impacted by expiring funding measures.
