NB Original Antarctic Diary has moved.
Season Summary of expeditioners and experiments.>>>
Sharon & Jane at Casey Station
UV-B
Screen Trial
Sharon & Cath at Casey
UV-B Screens in place
Sharon, Jane & Johanna at Casey
Jane starts PhD on
dessication
Jane, Johanna & Jodie at Casey
Jodie measures UV-B
pigments in Moss (Honours)
No Trips to Antarctica
Jane, Johanna & Simon at Casey
Sharon & SUe Fyfe at Macquarie Island
Johanna to Heard Island
Sue Laurence Clarke & Nicole Grant to Macquarie Island
Introduction
Sharon Robinson's Antarctic Research Group are investigating the effects of GLobal Climate Change on Antarctic Mosses.
In these pages we will explain the many aspects of a scientific study, from the original question to the final product - a "Scientific Paper" published in a Scientific Journal.
The main timeline concentrates on the experiments to determine the effects of water availability on mosses growing under high UV-B conditions
Start
The 1996/7 southeren hemisphere summer was the first time we went down to Antarctica to do some trial experiments.
UV Screen over Moss bed
The question
(or creating a hypothesis).
Scientific studies start off with a question which often arises during another study.
Asking good questions based on observation and curiosity is at the heart of the process of good science.
During our first two years at Casey we started to get results which suggested that moss growing in dry sites might be more affected by UV radiation than moss growing in wetter sites.
Close-up of moss
Specific questions
To make make science rigerous and also manageable, hypotheses have to be split up into specific questions that can then build upon one another to answer the original hypothesis.
Specifically for us, our experiments had to be managed to fit into the Antarctic summer when the moss was not frozen under the snow.
Funding
The next step is to obtain funding to do the research which means writing a application for a grant and submitting it to a granting body. In the case of Antarctic Research the grants are awarded by the Antarctic Science Advisory Committee (ASAC).
The Trip
The remoteness and unforgiving nature of Antarctica tends to engender a tradition and a camaraderie among the expeditioners.
There is a sense of belonging to a priviliged club and having shared in the adventure of a lifetime. Below is a link to the original Antarctic Diary which was started in the 97-98 season and reported on the social experience of the trip as well as the science.
The Experiments
In the summer season of 1998/9 we performed our desiccation experiments for one dry site and one wet site at Casey where all 3 moss species were present.
The Results
The data from the sugars was available by early 1999 and then we could complete the data analysis and start to write up our results as a paper to be published in the Australian Journal of Plant Physiology.
Submitting the Scientific Paper
Finally the paper was submitted to the journal in September 1999, a time when the antarctic ozone hole was at one of its largest areas.
Publishing the Paper
In May 2000 we got the page proofs to check and the paper finally appeared in July 2000.
Teaching, Admin, Study Leave, Admin....
Antarctic Map - Casey at 4 o'clock
Laurence Clarke Honours
Simon Leslie Honours
Johanna starts Masters
Johanna & Simon measure DNA damage & pigments at Casey
Sharon on Macquarie Island
Nicole Grant does Honours on High Light Plant pigments
Laurence Clarke starts PhD investigating genetic mutations in Antarctic Moss
Laurence Clarke in the field.
Future