What’s it like to live and work on the frozen ocean? A team of researchers is camping out on the sea ice to investigate the small critters that live on the bottom of the ice, and among the sloshy platelet ice layer just below it. From microalgae to krill, these tiny organisms hold up the big complex food web of Antarctica. Scientists are keen to understand these communities, and how they might shift as the sea ice cycle changes.

Guests:

• Dr Natalie Robinson, NIWA 
• Dr Jacqui Stuart, Victoria University of Wellington
• Dr Greg Leonard, University of Otago
• Lizzy Skelton, University of Canterbury
• Dr Aimee van der Reis, University of Auckland
• Salvatore Campanile, Victoria University of Wellington

Learn more:

• Read the article that accompanies this episode: What lives in Antarctic sea ice?
• Dr Natalie Robinson spoke to The Detail in 2023 about the unprecedented sea ice conditions of that year
• Alison Ballance's Voices from Antarctica series from 2020 explores what it’s like to live and work in Antarctica.

This series was made with travel support from the Antarctica New Zealand Community Engagement Programme.

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