In an announcement by Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce this week, the government has selected Victoria University, the New Zealand Antarctic Research Institute, Antarctica New Zealand, GNS Science, Landcare Research, and the University of Otago to participate in the Deep South Challenge, to be led by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).
This is the second of 10 challenges to have funding confirmed. The challenges are aimed at responding to the most important scientific issues facing New Zealanders.
Professor Mike Wilson, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Science, attended the launch of the Challenge, along with Professor Neil Quigley, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), and Professor Dave Frame, Director of Climate Change in the School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences.
Professor Wilson says that Victoria’s participation in this National Science Challenge is testament to the quality of its research in this area and the University’s commitment to collaborative research for the good of New Zealand.
The goals of the Deep South Challenge are to:
- develop a New Zealand-specific model to improve predictions of our future climate
- create a better understanding of how our climate conditions are driven from the Southern Ocean and Antarctica
- research impacts on climate-sensitive economic sectors, infrastructure and natural resources of changes driven by climate processes in the deep south
- research climate-related risks and opportunities for industry, Māori, communities, planners, and regulators.
Funding of $24 million over the next four years will enable the challenge to focus on issues such as drought, freshwater availability, damaging storm events and changes to mean climate and variability.
Research into Antarctic sea ice is one example of the science to be undertaken by the challenge. Scientists will study the growth and decay of Antarctic sea ice to gain a better understanding of its influence on the ocean and the atmosphere components of the climate system.