Research at sea
Floating Laboratories
Some of the most important Antarctic marine discoveries begin at sea. Research vessels serve as floating laboratories for studying the from surface waters to the deep seabed.
During Antarctic research voyages, ships may spend weeks or months at sea. Observations collected during these voyages span from weather and surface conditions to the deep seafloor, helping scientists build a clearer picture of underwater landscapes, ocean conditions, and marine ecosystems across vast areas of the Southern Ocean.
Some instruments operate continuously as the vessel moves, while others are deployed at specific sampling locations to collect data, samples, and observations from the water column and seabed.
Mapping the Seafloor
One of the most important roles of research vessels is mapping the depth, shape and texture of the ocean floor.
Using acoustic technology, ships send sound pulses to the seabed and measure the returning echoes, building detailed maps of underwater terrain as they move. These surveys reveal glacier-carved troughs, banks, ridges, sprawling canyons and deep ocean basins, helping scientists understand the structure of the Antarctic seafloor and the processes that shaped it.
Much of the Antarctic seafloor is unmapped. Each voyage adds another small slice of surveyed ground slowly expanding our view of the underwater landscape beneath the Southern Ocean.
Studying the Water Column
The water column is layered, moving, and constantly changing.
During research voyages, instruments operating from the vessel measure conditions throughout the water column, along with plankton and other small life moving through it. Some instruments record continuously as the ship moves, while others collect water or biological samples for later analysis.
Research vessels can also deploy moorings, floats and gliders that remain in the ocean after the voyage ends, extending these observations across seasons and over longer periods.
Across the water column, these observations reveal the structure of different water masses and patterns of ocean circulation and productivity. They help scientists understand how heat, nutrients and life move through the Southern Ocean.
Taking Samples at Sea
Research vessels do more than observe the ocean — they can also recover material for closer study onboard.
Sediment corers and other sampling equipment are used to retrieve seafloor sediments, rocks and biological material, while specialised nets and continuous plankton recorders collect life directly from the water column. Onboard laboratories and cold storage allow many of these samples to be examined, processed or preserved at sea before further analysis on land.
These samples provide direct evidence from the seafloor and water column. Sediments recovered from the seafloor can preserve records of past ice, ocean and environmental conditions. Biological material can identify species, habitats and communities, and show where life is concentrated across the Southern Ocean.
Observing Life at the Surface
Research vessels provide an opportunistic platform for scientists to record sightings of seabirds, whales, seals and other marine life from the vessel.
These observations help to build a broader picture of life across the Southern Ocean. Collective databases of megafauna sightings show where predators gather, how their distribution changes through time and space, and how closely their movements are tied to ocean conditions and productivity.
Underwater Robotics
Some parts of the Southern Ocean cannot be studied in detail from the deck of a ship.
Research vessels support underwater robotic systems such as Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), extending research deeper into the water and across the seafloor.
ROVs are tethered to the ship and piloted from onboard, with the tether supplying power and relaying video and instrument data back to the surface. AUVs operate untethered and follow pre-programmed survey paths, allowing them to collect observations independently. Equipped with cameras, sonar and other sensors, these platforms can map terrain in finer detail and observe habitats and seafloor ecosystems more closely than ship-based systems alone.
Underwater robotics has opened up new ways of studying remote Antarctic environments, from deep seafloor settings to the isolated waters far inside floating ice shelves.
CHOOSE YOUR PATH
Research on the ice
Field teams travel across glaciers, ice shelves and coastal environments to install instruments and collect samples.
Research under the ice
Beneath Antarctica’s floating ice shelves lies a hidden ocean environment that is extremely difficult to access and only beginning to be explored.
Back to base
Return to base to explore another aspect of Antarctic field research.
