Just across the road is the Hobart headquarters of CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, which aims to advance Australian climate, marine and earth systems science.

Australia is the custodian of one of the largest marine jurisdictions in the world, an area more than twice that of our land mass. An enormous range of economic and recreational opportunities exist, while the oceans around Australia play a major role in controlling world and regional climate. The atmospheric composition of the Southern Hemisphere and the exchange of gases with the land and sea are important in measuring, modelling and analysing climate change and ozone depletion.

Air samples are extracted from Antarctic ice cores in CSIRO's Icelab (Ice Core Extraction Laboratory) in Melbourne. The resulting 2000-year records establish historical greenhouse gas concentrations over many hundreds of years.

CSIRO is a major participant in Australia's Antarctic program. The Marine National Facility - Ocean Research Vessel Southern Surveyor - is managed by CSIRO on behalf of Australia for the use of the entire marine science community, and often works in the Southern Ocean.

If you have a fast broadband internet connection, you can also view the media-rich version of this Pathways site, which includes an audio narrative and slideshow.