Aurora+Australis+Education+&+Science

Aurora Australis Education and Science
http://www.antarctica.gov.au/living-and-working/field-operations =Field operations= Many expeditioners go to Antarctica to conduct field programs and spend a considerable part of their time living off station. These pages provide information on various aspects of life in the field. We supply expert planning and field support expertise to every field program. All approved field personnel and their equipment must be fully organised before leaving Australia. Requests for support once on station may not be supportable. Operational support staff from the AAD will liaise with project leaders in the development of a Service Level Agreement for each approved program. This includes the detailed allocation of limited station resources including tents and field equipment, vehicles, trade and field support personnel time.
 * [[image:http://images.aad.gov.au/img.py/3c2.jpg?width=160&height=120 width="160" height="120" caption="Expeditioner takesscientific reading of crevasse" link="http://images.aad.gov.au/img.py/3c2.jpg?width=640&height=427"]] || [[image:http://images.aad.gov.au/img.py/145c.jpg?width=160&height=120 width="160" height="120" caption="Pyramid tents in windand snow" link="http://images.aad.gov.au/img.py/145c.jpg?width=640&height=480"]] || [[image:http://images.aad.gov.au/img.py/13e6.jpg?width=160&height=120 width="160" height="120" caption="Expeditioner kneelingon ice in front of boxes of scientific equipment" link="http://images.aad.gov.au/img.py/13e6.jpg?width=621&height=480"]] ||

=Cool School Antarctica= http://www.coolschoolantarctica.com/

This great website will provide endless resources on Animals & Icebergs, Climate Change, Renewable Energy, "Greening" your environment. There is also interactive climate crusader challenge.

=Protected areas= http://www.antarctica.gov.au/living-and-working/field-operations/environment-protection/protected-areas

The whole Antarctic continent has a high level of protection under the [|Madrid Protocol] and other Antarctic Treaty agreements. In some areas, access is tightly restricted to protect outstanding environmental, scientific or cultural values. Except for small scale recreational field trips within the scope of normal duties, activities of **all** field parties are subject to [|Environmental Impact Assessments](EIAs). Entry without a permit is prohibited to the following protected areas in the AAT: See also:
 * [|Taylor Rookery ASPA No 101]
 * [|Rookery Island ASPA No 102]
 * [|Ardery & Odbert Islands ASPA No 103]
 * [|North-east Bailey Peninsula ASPA No 135]
 * [|Clark Peninsula ASPA No 136]
 * [|Marine Plain ASPA No 143]
 * [|Frazier Islands ASPA No 160]
 * [|Mawson's Huts ASPA No 162]
 * [|Scullin and Murray Monoliths ASPA No 164]
 * [|Hawker Island ASPA No 167]
 * [|Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Reserve]
 * [|Area protection (policy information)]
 * [|Permit information]

=Wildlife protection= http://www.antarctica.gov.au/living-and-working/field-operations/environment-protection/wildlife-protection

Observe the [|guidelines for approaching wildlife]. [|Photo]: M. Woolridge ||  ||   || Give penguins their space [|Photo]: M. Woolridge ||  || Take every precaution not to introduce the risk of diseases. See also:
 * || [[image:http://images.aad.gov.au/img.py/bde.jpg?width=160&height=120 width="160" height="120" caption="Expeditioners watching through binoculars" link="http://images.aad.gov.au/img.py/bde.jpg?width=640&height=480"]]Observe wildlife approach distances
 * Do not take any poultry products into the field.
 * Do not feed any wildlife, such as skuas, or leave any food scraps around outside. Scraps encourage dependence on free feeds, and also carry the risk of disease.
 * Do not leave frozen grey water unprotected outside. Skuas eat anything!
 * Take care when travelling between field sites. Make sure you clean your boots, clothes, vehicles and equipment between each site to minimise the likelihood of carrying disease from one site to another. Take particular care when moving between wildlife colonies. Unusual animal mortalities, although rare, have been observed amongst Antarctic wildlife. It is always possible that such phenomena are caused by disease introduced or spread by humans.
 * Research into wildlife disturbance
 * Research into introduced diseases
 * [|Wildlife approach distances]

Science and Other
http://www.antarctica.gov.au/living-and-working/travel-and-logistics/ships/aurora-australis

A wide range of scientific experiments are conducted from onboard laboratories. These include [|biological], http://www.antarctica.gov.au/science/adaptation-to-environmental-change/biology [|oceanography] http://www.antarctica.gov.au/science/ice-ocean-atmosphere-and-climate and [|meteorological experiments and observations] http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/fact-files/atmosphere. On a six week voyage, the ship's kitchen can go through 4500 eggs, 1000 kg of potatoes and 280 litres of ice cream. The ship can produce up to 45,000 litres of fresh water per day for use on board for both drinking and other uses. With satellite communications, people on the ship can phone anywhere in the world at any time. Expeditioners are also able to stay in contact with friends and family via email. The //Aurora Australis// is painted a very bright orange, thus allowing it to be easily seen in ice-strewn waters. The living conditions on board are excellent. Expeditioners are accommodated in small cabins that sleep three or four people on bunk beds. The beds fold away into couches to save space, and each cabin has its own bathroom and toilet. The ship also has two gyms, a bar and a couple of video areas. Everybody eats together in a large communal mess.

More information

 * [|Transport schedules]
 * [|QuickTime virtual reality tour of the Aurora Australis]
 * [|Voyage diaries]
 * [|History of ANARE shipping]