It's RSV Nuyina's first dedicated marine science voyage and the first time scientists working with the Australian Antarctic Program have had the opportunity to study the Denman Glacier, in East Antarctica, from the sea. The Denman has retreated 5km in just over two decades and scientists want to know what that accelerated melt rate could mean for global sea levels and regional biodiversity in future.
The Denman Terrestrial Campaign based glaciologists, geologists, marine ecologists and other experts inland for two seasons.
Now Denman Marine scientists on RSV Nuyina will investigate the factors influencing the glacier's retreat, and the likely impacts, from the sea. A key aim is quantifying just how much the glacier might contribute to rising sea levels in a warming climate in the centuries to come.
The Denman Glacier sits on a trench that's believed to be the deepest point on continental earth, at 3.5km. Scientists suspect that warmer waters coming up underneath the glacier may have something to do with why it's melting at such an astounding rate. One study projects the Denman alone will contribute 22mm to sea-level rise by 2300.
The high rate of uncertainty in the models is a key reason for studying the Denman Glacier system.
