Researchers Warn Of Uncertain Future For The Platypus
November 29, 2018: UNSWScientists are worried about the platypus, with a national risk assessment led by UNSW Professor Richard Kingsford suggesting declines of up to 30%.
Photo: UNSW Centre for Ecosystem Science
Mounting evidence that platypus populations are falling has concerned scientists who are nearing the end of a three-year national survey of the iconic species.
The UNSW-led Australian Research Council-funded project has compiled a comprehensive database of the distribution and abundance of the platypus over the last two centuries, combining this with data from systematic capture surveys to conduct a national risk assessment for the species.
“We have great concerns about the future survival of this unique species,” says project leader Professor Richard Kingsford, director of the UNSW Centre for Ecosystem Science.
“The national risk assessment has suggested declines of up to 30% across its range since European settlement, with localised declines and extinctions increasingly reported.
“Synergistic threats to platypus populations include river regulation and flow disruption, increasing agricultural land use, pollution, and the capture of platypus in fishing and yabby nets, all of which are contributing to these declines across its range,” he says.
UNSW researcher Dr Gilad Bino has been working to assess differences in population numbers and viability of the species throughout its range, which will enable appropriate conservation actions.
“Our national survey shows great variability in platypus numbers throughout their range in eastern Australia,” says Dr Bino.
“On degraded rivers, typically below dams and in regions of high agricultural land use, we generally see lower numbers of platypus, likely due to the impacts these threats have on bank erosion and availability of macroinvertebrate food sources,” he says.
The inclusion of historical data has suggested a significant underestimation for platypus declines and has shown that perceptions of healthy numbers have changed over time.
“Previously we’ve had no information on historical platypus abundances and without this baseline reference we become misinformed about what a normal abundance is," says Tahneal Hawke, a PhD candidate at UNSW.
“This shift in our perception is particularly important for such a cryptic animal. Given sightings are rare, people perceive captures or sightings of just a few platypuses to be indicative of a healthy population, while historical records suggest numbers far exceeded our current observations,” she says.
Researchers expect to publish the risk assessment in coming months. The research is supported by an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant (LP150100093), in partnership with Taronga Conservation Society.
November 29, 2018: UNSW
Scientists are worried about the platypus, with a national risk assessment led by UNSW Professor Richard Kingsford suggesting declines of up to 30%.
Photo: UNSW Centre for Ecosystem Science
Mounting evidence that platypus populations are falling has concerned scientists who are nearing the end of a three-year national survey of the iconic species.
The UNSW-led Australian Research Council-funded project has compiled a comprehensive database of the distribution and abundance of the platypus over the last two centuries, combining this with data from systematic capture surveys to conduct a national risk assessment for the species.
“We have great concerns about the future survival of this unique species,” says project leader Professor Richard Kingsford, director of the UNSW Centre for Ecosystem Science.
“The national risk assessment has suggested declines of up to 30% across its range since European settlement, with localised declines and extinctions increasingly reported.
“Synergistic threats to platypus populations include river regulation and flow disruption, increasing agricultural land use, pollution, and the capture of platypus in fishing and yabby nets, all of which are contributing to these declines across its range,” he says.
UNSW researcher Dr Gilad Bino has been working to assess differences in population numbers and viability of the species throughout its range, which will enable appropriate conservation actions.
“Our national survey shows great variability in platypus numbers throughout their range in eastern Australia,” says Dr Bino.
“On degraded rivers, typically below dams and in regions of high agricultural land use, we generally see lower numbers of platypus, likely due to the impacts these threats have on bank erosion and availability of macroinvertebrate food sources,” he says.
The inclusion of historical data has suggested a significant underestimation for platypus declines and has shown that perceptions of healthy numbers have changed over time.
“Previously we’ve had no information on historical platypus abundances and without this baseline reference we become misinformed about what a normal abundance is," says Tahneal Hawke, a PhD candidate at UNSW.
“This shift in our perception is particularly important for such a cryptic animal. Given sightings are rare, people perceive captures or sightings of just a few platypuses to be indicative of a healthy population, while historical records suggest numbers far exceeded our current observations,” she says.
Researchers expect to publish the risk assessment in coming months. The research is supported by an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant (LP150100093), in partnership with Taronga Conservation Society.
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Catastrophic Dog Attacks On Fairy Penguin Colonies: 6th Incident This Year
November 30, 2018On Friday morning 30 dead Little or Fairy Penguins were discovered by a member of the public at Waubs Bay beach, at Bicheno on the north east of Hobart Tasmania. This was preceded by a similar attack on the small birds in mid October in the north.
BirdLife Tasmania described the dog attack that killed 58 Little Penguins at Low Head on October 17th, 2018 as “catastrophic”.
“How many more Little Penguins have to be killed by dogs before the Tasmanian Government acts to protect these vulnerable birds?” asked Dr Eric Woehler, BirdLife Tasmania Convenor.
The October attack was believed to be the second dog attack on penguins at Low Head this year, and the fourth or fifth for the year to date around Tasmania. A dozen Little Penguins died in the area in June, after what was assessed as a probable dog attack.
The Tasmanian Government said wildlife enforcement rangers from the Department of Primary Industries are investigating the latest deaths.
Little penguins — known here as Fairy penguins — are the smallest of the penguin species, growing to an average height of 40 centimetres and weighing an average of 1 kilogram. Lion Island is home to a colony of Fairy penguins, which is why people see them in Pittwater and around Barrenjoey.
The latest attacks in Tasmania are impacting on the colonies that are currently in their breeding season.
Bicheno Penguin Tours operator Nik Wardlaw, said he was horrified by the deaths.
"It's a bit of a shock, everyone's sort of scratching their heads at the moment trying to work out how this has happened."
Mr. Wardlaw said he believes dogs are responsible for the killings.
"When you've got 30 dead penguins like that, you would think that it would be a dog or several dogs that possible may have done that," he said. "It's a problem that we try to eliminate with encouraging dog owners to keep their dogs locked up at all times.
"Generally the population of locals here are very, very good with their dogs, they understand the importance of penguins here to our economy, it's become a major part of the attraction of Bicheno with people coming from overseas and interstate to view the penguins here."
BirdLife Tasmania's Dr Woehler added,“It’s an issue that won’t go away until dog owners take responsibility for their pets’ actions”
“Letting dogs loose at night is asking for trouble, especially in coastal communities around Tasmania. Tasmania has half the world’s population of Little Penguins, so it is critical that we protect them and their colonies.”
“The breeding season has just started, and it will take many years and potentially more than a decade for the colony to recover from the loss of these birds” Dr Woehler added. “There can be no other word to describe this attack as catastrophic”.
BirdLife Tasmania supports the DPIPWE call for assistance and urged members of the community to come forward immediately if they have any information.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact DPIPWE’s Wildlife Operations Branch on 0427 437 020, PWS on 1300 827 727 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Information can be provided anonymously.
Little penguin on a Tasmanian beach, photo by Dr Eric Woehler
November 30, 2018
On Friday morning 30 dead Little or Fairy Penguins were discovered by a member of the public at Waubs Bay beach, at Bicheno on the north east of Hobart Tasmania. This was preceded by a similar attack on the small birds in mid October in the north.
BirdLife Tasmania described the dog attack that killed 58 Little Penguins at Low Head on October 17th, 2018 as “catastrophic”.
“How many more Little Penguins have to be killed by dogs before the Tasmanian Government acts to protect these vulnerable birds?” asked Dr Eric Woehler, BirdLife Tasmania Convenor.
The October attack was believed to be the second dog attack on penguins at Low Head this year, and the fourth or fifth for the year to date around Tasmania. A dozen Little Penguins died in the area in June, after what was assessed as a probable dog attack.
The Tasmanian Government said wildlife enforcement rangers from the Department of Primary Industries are investigating the latest deaths.
Little penguins — known here as Fairy penguins — are the smallest of the penguin species, growing to an average height of 40 centimetres and weighing an average of 1 kilogram. Lion Island is home to a colony of Fairy penguins, which is why people see them in Pittwater and around Barrenjoey.
The latest attacks in Tasmania are impacting on the colonies that are currently in their breeding season.
Bicheno Penguin Tours operator Nik Wardlaw, said he was horrified by the deaths.
"It's a bit of a shock, everyone's sort of scratching their heads at the moment trying to work out how this has happened."
Mr. Wardlaw said he believes dogs are responsible for the killings.
"When you've got 30 dead penguins like that, you would think that it would be a dog or several dogs that possible may have done that," he said. "It's a problem that we try to eliminate with encouraging dog owners to keep their dogs locked up at all times.
"Generally the population of locals here are very, very good with their dogs, they understand the importance of penguins here to our economy, it's become a major part of the attraction of Bicheno with people coming from overseas and interstate to view the penguins here."
BirdLife Tasmania's Dr Woehler added,“It’s an issue that won’t go away until dog owners take responsibility for their pets’ actions”
“Letting dogs loose at night is asking for trouble, especially in coastal communities around Tasmania. Tasmania has half the world’s population of Little Penguins, so it is critical that we protect them and their colonies.”
“The breeding season has just started, and it will take many years and potentially more than a decade for the colony to recover from the loss of these birds” Dr Woehler added. “There can be no other word to describe this attack as catastrophic”.
BirdLife Tasmania supports the DPIPWE call for assistance and urged members of the community to come forward immediately if they have any information.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact DPIPWE’s Wildlife Operations Branch on 0427 437 020, PWS on 1300 827 727 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Information can be provided anonymously.
Little penguin on a Tasmanian beach, photo by Dr Eric Woehler
Reproduction Research A New Hope For Tough Breed Of Coral
November 28, 2018: Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)Researchers visiting the Australian Institute of Marine Science will be at the centre of the action when coral spawning - one of the world’s greatest underwater wonders - kicks off this week.
More than 18 different coral species are set to release tiny bundles of hope for future reefs, in the National Sea Simulator at AIMS near Townsville.
AIMS’ marine geneticist Professor Madeleine van Oppen said research being undertaken at AIMS this week was part of a Reef Recovery program which involves freezing and banking coral sperm, in a bid to safeguard at-risk species and their genetic diversity.
Professor van Oppen said the National Sea Simulator was the only research facility of its kind in the world to replicate in-situ spawning conditions in an experimental setting.
“Researchers travel from all over the world to work in the SeaSim and during the Great Barrier Reef coral spawning season it is always busy,” she said.
Leading reproductive biologists from Taronga Conservation Society Australia, AIMS and the US-based Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, will collect and freeze coral sperm, which is to be banked as part of Taronga’s Great Barrier Reef coral cryo-repository.
AIMS researchers have collected samples of heat-resilient Acropora tenuis branching corals during a GBR Legacy `Search for Solutions’ expedition to the far northern Great Barrier Reef, and transferred them by aircraft to the National Sea Simulator AIMS where they are due to release egg and sperm bundles this week.
Smithsonian Institute researcher Dr Jonathan Daly said human fertility techniques would be used to test whether sperm collected and banked in 2012, could still fertilise fresh eggs from these northern region corals.
“We have brought frozen sperm samples from Taronga’s bank in Dubbo, NSW to Townsville, to explore how cryopreservation can aid genetics on the Reef,” Dr Daly said.
Taronga’s senior reproductive biologist Dr Rebecca Hobbs said the cross-fertilisation experiment at this year’s spawning event would allow the Reef Recovery program to further evolve.
Dr Hobbs said the National Sea Simulator provided a stable research platform with good water quality, stable temperatures and natural ambient light, to undertake the delicate research.
“The SeaSim allows the corals to release their egg and sperm bundles in the same way and in the same timing as they would in nature,” she said.
She said sperm from these resilient northern corals will be frozen and taken to the bank which already has 16 different coral species cryopreserved at Taronga’s two CryoDiversity Banks in Sydney and Dubbo.
The Reef Recovery program started in 2011, with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation funding the project from 2016, bringing together Taronga, the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Smithsonian Institute, to continue the critical work of cryopreserving the Reef and creating the largest bio-bank of frozen corals in the world.
Reef recovery team is working in the AIMS National Sea Simulator this week. Nikolas Zuchowicz, Jon Daly, Justine O'Brien and Rebecca Hobbs - AIMS photo.
November 28, 2018: Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Researchers visiting the Australian Institute of Marine Science will be at the centre of the action when coral spawning - one of the world’s greatest underwater wonders - kicks off this week.
More than 18 different coral species are set to release tiny bundles of hope for future reefs, in the National Sea Simulator at AIMS near Townsville.
AIMS’ marine geneticist Professor Madeleine van Oppen said research being undertaken at AIMS this week was part of a Reef Recovery program which involves freezing and banking coral sperm, in a bid to safeguard at-risk species and their genetic diversity.
Professor van Oppen said the National Sea Simulator was the only research facility of its kind in the world to replicate in-situ spawning conditions in an experimental setting.
“Researchers travel from all over the world to work in the SeaSim and during the Great Barrier Reef coral spawning season it is always busy,” she said.
Leading reproductive biologists from Taronga Conservation Society Australia, AIMS and the US-based Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, will collect and freeze coral sperm, which is to be banked as part of Taronga’s Great Barrier Reef coral cryo-repository.
AIMS researchers have collected samples of heat-resilient Acropora tenuis branching corals during a GBR Legacy `Search for Solutions’ expedition to the far northern Great Barrier Reef, and transferred them by aircraft to the National Sea Simulator AIMS where they are due to release egg and sperm bundles this week.
Smithsonian Institute researcher Dr Jonathan Daly said human fertility techniques would be used to test whether sperm collected and banked in 2012, could still fertilise fresh eggs from these northern region corals.
“We have brought frozen sperm samples from Taronga’s bank in Dubbo, NSW to Townsville, to explore how cryopreservation can aid genetics on the Reef,” Dr Daly said.
Taronga’s senior reproductive biologist Dr Rebecca Hobbs said the cross-fertilisation experiment at this year’s spawning event would allow the Reef Recovery program to further evolve.
Dr Hobbs said the National Sea Simulator provided a stable research platform with good water quality, stable temperatures and natural ambient light, to undertake the delicate research.
“The SeaSim allows the corals to release their egg and sperm bundles in the same way and in the same timing as they would in nature,” she said.
She said sperm from these resilient northern corals will be frozen and taken to the bank which already has 16 different coral species cryopreserved at Taronga’s two CryoDiversity Banks in Sydney and Dubbo.
The Reef Recovery program started in 2011, with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation funding the project from 2016, bringing together Taronga, the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Smithsonian Institute, to continue the critical work of cryopreserving the Reef and creating the largest bio-bank of frozen corals in the world.
Reef recovery team is working in the AIMS National Sea Simulator this week. Nikolas Zuchowicz, Jon Daly, Justine O'Brien and Rebecca Hobbs - AIMS photo.
Dr Nick Gales Ends Unique Antarctic Journey
November 29, 2018: Australian Antarctic DivisionThe Director of the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD), Dr Nick Gales, ends his long career with the Program today.
Dr Gales first joined the AAD in the 1980s as a veterinary scientist studying elephant seals and penguins on Heard and MacDonald Islands and at Davis research station.
Dr Nick Gales in field training at Casey research station (Photo: Adam Roberts)
From his start as an over-wintering expeditioner, Dr Gales has worked in a scientific role at the Division since 2001, and as a member of the Executive since 2012. He became AAD Director in 2015.
“It is a unique journey. As the first Director to have wintered in Antarctica, it’s been enormously helpful in this role for me to genuinely understand the experience of expeditioners,” Dr Gales said.
“I feel deeply privileged to have been given the opportunity to lead this dynamic organisation, surrounded by incredibly competent people.”
“I am particularly proud of the role I’ve played as Chief Scientist and as Director in aligning our science more directly with policy and management and the priorities of the Antarctic Treaty.”
During Dr Gales’ tenure he has overseen the development of the Australian Antarctic Strategy and 20 Year Action Plan, which is modernising the Australian Antarctic Program at a larger scale of change than ever before.
“We’re getting entirely new and different capabilities. The new icebreaker RSV Nuyina is going to be an extraordinary marine research facility able to resupply and access our stations in a way that we’ve never done before.”
“We’re also looking at a new way of accessing Antarctica with aviation that goes beyond what we currently do with our ice runway, and developing our traverse capability to search for a million year old ice core,” he said.
Climate science continues to be a key research priority.
“Knowing how important Antarctica is for our climate, what the consequences of climate change are to Antarctica, and how that impacts humanity is a key part of understanding what’s coming in the future.”
During his time with the Division, Dr Gales has also been the Australian Commissioner to the International Whaling Commission (IWC).
He has led Australia’s efforts at the IWC to end ‘scientific’ whaling, and has been instrumental in developing non-lethal research methods.
Dr Gales’ last day is 29 November. A new Director is still to be announced.
Dr Nick Gales at the Antarctic Circle sign, near Casey research station (Photo: Stuart Shaw)
November 29, 2018: Australian Antarctic Division
The Director of the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD), Dr Nick Gales, ends his long career with the Program today.
Dr Gales first joined the AAD in the 1980s as a veterinary scientist studying elephant seals and penguins on Heard and MacDonald Islands and at Davis research station.
Dr Nick Gales in field training at Casey research station (Photo: Adam Roberts)
From his start as an over-wintering expeditioner, Dr Gales has worked in a scientific role at the Division since 2001, and as a member of the Executive since 2012. He became AAD Director in 2015.
“It is a unique journey. As the first Director to have wintered in Antarctica, it’s been enormously helpful in this role for me to genuinely understand the experience of expeditioners,” Dr Gales said.
“I feel deeply privileged to have been given the opportunity to lead this dynamic organisation, surrounded by incredibly competent people.”
“I am particularly proud of the role I’ve played as Chief Scientist and as Director in aligning our science more directly with policy and management and the priorities of the Antarctic Treaty.”
During Dr Gales’ tenure he has overseen the development of the Australian Antarctic Strategy and 20 Year Action Plan, which is modernising the Australian Antarctic Program at a larger scale of change than ever before.
“We’re getting entirely new and different capabilities. The new icebreaker RSV Nuyina is going to be an extraordinary marine research facility able to resupply and access our stations in a way that we’ve never done before.”
“We’re also looking at a new way of accessing Antarctica with aviation that goes beyond what we currently do with our ice runway, and developing our traverse capability to search for a million year old ice core,” he said.
Climate science continues to be a key research priority.
“Knowing how important Antarctica is for our climate, what the consequences of climate change are to Antarctica, and how that impacts humanity is a key part of understanding what’s coming in the future.”
During his time with the Division, Dr Gales has also been the Australian Commissioner to the International Whaling Commission (IWC).
He has led Australia’s efforts at the IWC to end ‘scientific’ whaling, and has been instrumental in developing non-lethal research methods.
Dr Gales’ last day is 29 November. A new Director is still to be announced.
Dr Nick Gales at the Antarctic Circle sign, near Casey research station (Photo: Stuart Shaw)
Microplastics Pollution In Falklands As High As UK
Earth's Polar Regions Communicate Via Oceanic 'Postcards,' Atmospheric 'Text Messages'
November 28, 2018Scientists have documented a two-part climatic connection between the North Atlantic Ocean and Antarctica, a fast atmospheric channel and a much slower oceanic one, that caused rapid changes in climate during the last ice age -- and may again.
In a new study published this week in Nature, an international team of scientists describe how extremely abrupt climate change events 60,000 to 12,000 years ago came from the repeated strengthening and weakening of an oceanic current that warms Greenland and Europe by bringing warm water from the tropics via the Gulf Stream into the North Atlantic Ocean. That current is known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC).
The new research documents how the North Atlantic communicates these extreme events to Antarctica, at the opposite side of the world.
"The North Atlantic is sending messages to Antarctica on two different time scales," said Christo Buizert, an Oregon State University climate change specialist and lead author on the study. "The atmospheric connection is like a text message that arrives right away, while the oceanic one is more like a postcard that takes its time getting there -- in this case, 200 years, which makes the postal service look pretty good by comparison.
"When the North Atlantic warms because of the strengthened AMOC, all of Antarctica eventually will cool because of oceanic changes. It begins with the winds, but the ocean delivers a much bigger impact two centuries later."
During the last ice age this AMOC current was usually very weak, plunging the North Atlantic region into frigid conditions. But occasionally it would strengthen very quickly, causing Greenland to warm suddenly, the researchers say. Whenever Greenland warmed, climate in Antarctica on the other side of the world would change -- twice.
Global atmospheric conditions changed immediately and westerly winds blowing around Antarctica shifted away from the land, which caused warming in some parts of Antarctica and cooling in others. The second half of the impact was much slower, a cooling effect of the southern hemisphere oceans that didn't manifest itself in Antarctica for 200 years.
The study explains why the climate in Greenland and Antarctica have not exactly aligned over time, according to Oregon State atmospheric scientist Justin Wettstein, a co-author on the study.
"This is the first time that you can so clearly see the nuts and bolts of how the climate works on time scales much longer than our meteorological observations," Wettstein said. "It allows us to see how Greenland and Antarctica have been connected -- spatially and temporally -- long before people were running around with thermometers to measure the temperature."
To reconstruct the climate, the researchers examined ice cores from five different locations in Antarctica and synchronized the dates by looking at layers of volcanic ash. They measured changes in the temperature by analyzing ratios of water isotopes. They then matched the data with well-established dates of the so-called "Dansgaard-Oeschger" events in Greenland ice cores to pinpoint the connection between the hemispheres.
These extremely abrupt events happened roughly 25 times during the last ice age, from 100,000 to 20,000 years ago, the researchers say.
"When the Gulf Stream switches on to full strength, Greenland can warm as much as 10 to 15 degrees Celsius within a decade," Buizert said. "The change is abrupt and massive. As the ocean transfers heat to the north, the rest of the global ocean starts to cool down. Antarctica eventually 'notices' the oceans getting colder, but only after 200 years have passed."
The atmospheric shift in Antarctica's past has a certain pattern of where it is warmer and where it is colder -- a kind of temperature fingerprint, Buizert said.
"What is really neat is that by looking at modern-day observational data we can find an analog for what happened in the past," Buizert said. "Like forensic detectives, we can compare the temperature fingerprint in the ice cores to the fingerprints of modern-day wind patterns. This is how we identified the culprit -- the southern hemisphere westerly winds."
Observational data and climate models show that the AMOC current today is weakening because of global climate change, thus what happened during the last ice age could happen again.
The researchers say that if the past is a guide for what the future may hold, the weakening of the AMOC likely will decrease the potency of Asian monsoons and billions of people depend on that rain for their livelihood. The changing wind patterns in the southern hemisphere also will lessen the ocean's ability to take up carbon dioxide, meaning more CO2 emissions will stay in the atmosphere, strengthening the greenhouse effect.
"We know that our world is now warming on average, but the regional changes depend also on how the atmospheric and oceanic circulations respond," Wettstein said, "and that is something that climate models still disagree on. This study gives us a real-world example of past circulation change that we can use to test and improve our models."
The researchers caution that other influences besides the AMOC also will affect climate change -- rising temperatures from greenhouse gases are a major factor globally, and changes to the ozone layer affect wind patterns and climate in Antarctica.
Buizert, who has been on scientific expeditions to Antarctica and Greenland multiple times, said the research is "really exciting for climate geeks like us to figure out how the pieces of our climate are connected."
"The findings also may have implications for the future," he noted. "The AMOC is weakening now because of global warming and meltwater from Greenland. The 'text message' is being sent and atmospheric conditions are changing. The 'postcard' is on the way."
The study was supported by the National Science Foundation and other sources. Authors on the study were from the U.S., Switzerland, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Australia, Japan and France. Buizert and Wettstein are in OSU's College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences.
Christo Buizert, Michael Sigl, Mirko Severi, Bradley R. Markle, Justin J. Wettstein, Joseph R. McConnell, Joel B. Pedro, Harald Sodemann, Kumiko Goto-Azuma, Kenji Kawamura, Shuji Fujita, Hideaki Motoyama, Motohiro Hirabayashi, Ryu Uemura, Barbara Stenni, Frédéric Parrenin, Feng He, T. J. Fudge & Eric J. Steig. Abrupt ice-age shifts in southern westerly winds and Antarctic climate forced from the north. Nature (2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0727-5
Freshly drilled segment of the WAIS Divide ice core is brought to the surface. Credit: Tommy Cox
November 28, 2018
Scientists have documented a two-part climatic connection between the North Atlantic Ocean and Antarctica, a fast atmospheric channel and a much slower oceanic one, that caused rapid changes in climate during the last ice age -- and may again.
In a new study published this week in Nature, an international team of scientists describe how extremely abrupt climate change events 60,000 to 12,000 years ago came from the repeated strengthening and weakening of an oceanic current that warms Greenland and Europe by bringing warm water from the tropics via the Gulf Stream into the North Atlantic Ocean. That current is known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC).
The new research documents how the North Atlantic communicates these extreme events to Antarctica, at the opposite side of the world.
"The North Atlantic is sending messages to Antarctica on two different time scales," said Christo Buizert, an Oregon State University climate change specialist and lead author on the study. "The atmospheric connection is like a text message that arrives right away, while the oceanic one is more like a postcard that takes its time getting there -- in this case, 200 years, which makes the postal service look pretty good by comparison.
"When the North Atlantic warms because of the strengthened AMOC, all of Antarctica eventually will cool because of oceanic changes. It begins with the winds, but the ocean delivers a much bigger impact two centuries later."
During the last ice age this AMOC current was usually very weak, plunging the North Atlantic region into frigid conditions. But occasionally it would strengthen very quickly, causing Greenland to warm suddenly, the researchers say. Whenever Greenland warmed, climate in Antarctica on the other side of the world would change -- twice.
Global atmospheric conditions changed immediately and westerly winds blowing around Antarctica shifted away from the land, which caused warming in some parts of Antarctica and cooling in others. The second half of the impact was much slower, a cooling effect of the southern hemisphere oceans that didn't manifest itself in Antarctica for 200 years.
The study explains why the climate in Greenland and Antarctica have not exactly aligned over time, according to Oregon State atmospheric scientist Justin Wettstein, a co-author on the study.
"This is the first time that you can so clearly see the nuts and bolts of how the climate works on time scales much longer than our meteorological observations," Wettstein said. "It allows us to see how Greenland and Antarctica have been connected -- spatially and temporally -- long before people were running around with thermometers to measure the temperature."
To reconstruct the climate, the researchers examined ice cores from five different locations in Antarctica and synchronized the dates by looking at layers of volcanic ash. They measured changes in the temperature by analyzing ratios of water isotopes. They then matched the data with well-established dates of the so-called "Dansgaard-Oeschger" events in Greenland ice cores to pinpoint the connection between the hemispheres.
These extremely abrupt events happened roughly 25 times during the last ice age, from 100,000 to 20,000 years ago, the researchers say.
"When the Gulf Stream switches on to full strength, Greenland can warm as much as 10 to 15 degrees Celsius within a decade," Buizert said. "The change is abrupt and massive. As the ocean transfers heat to the north, the rest of the global ocean starts to cool down. Antarctica eventually 'notices' the oceans getting colder, but only after 200 years have passed."
The atmospheric shift in Antarctica's past has a certain pattern of where it is warmer and where it is colder -- a kind of temperature fingerprint, Buizert said.
"What is really neat is that by looking at modern-day observational data we can find an analog for what happened in the past," Buizert said. "Like forensic detectives, we can compare the temperature fingerprint in the ice cores to the fingerprints of modern-day wind patterns. This is how we identified the culprit -- the southern hemisphere westerly winds."
Observational data and climate models show that the AMOC current today is weakening because of global climate change, thus what happened during the last ice age could happen again.
The researchers say that if the past is a guide for what the future may hold, the weakening of the AMOC likely will decrease the potency of Asian monsoons and billions of people depend on that rain for their livelihood. The changing wind patterns in the southern hemisphere also will lessen the ocean's ability to take up carbon dioxide, meaning more CO2 emissions will stay in the atmosphere, strengthening the greenhouse effect.
"We know that our world is now warming on average, but the regional changes depend also on how the atmospheric and oceanic circulations respond," Wettstein said, "and that is something that climate models still disagree on. This study gives us a real-world example of past circulation change that we can use to test and improve our models."
The researchers caution that other influences besides the AMOC also will affect climate change -- rising temperatures from greenhouse gases are a major factor globally, and changes to the ozone layer affect wind patterns and climate in Antarctica.
Buizert, who has been on scientific expeditions to Antarctica and Greenland multiple times, said the research is "really exciting for climate geeks like us to figure out how the pieces of our climate are connected."
"The findings also may have implications for the future," he noted. "The AMOC is weakening now because of global warming and meltwater from Greenland. The 'text message' is being sent and atmospheric conditions are changing. The 'postcard' is on the way."
The study was supported by the National Science Foundation and other sources. Authors on the study were from the U.S., Switzerland, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Australia, Japan and France. Buizert and Wettstein are in OSU's College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences.
Christo Buizert, Michael Sigl, Mirko Severi, Bradley R. Markle, Justin J. Wettstein, Joseph R. McConnell, Joel B. Pedro, Harald Sodemann, Kumiko Goto-Azuma, Kenji Kawamura, Shuji Fujita, Hideaki Motoyama, Motohiro Hirabayashi, Ryu Uemura, Barbara Stenni, Frédéric Parrenin, Feng He, T. J. Fudge & Eric J. Steig. Abrupt ice-age shifts in southern westerly winds and Antarctic climate forced from the north. Nature (2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0727-5
Freshly drilled segment of the WAIS Divide ice core is brought to the surface. Credit: Tommy Cox
Iceland’s Banned TV Christmas Advert... Say Hello To Rang-Tan.
Powerful Owl Release
March 18, 2018: Avalon Preservation AssociationPNHA's Jacqui Marlow has advised that a Powerful Owl chick has been released in Plateau Park following its recuperation in Taronga Park.
If you see it there being harassed, or even if you see it at all, can you please phone her on 0458 194 127.
Powerful owl family - photo courtesy PNHA
March 18, 2018: Avalon Preservation Association
PNHA's Jacqui Marlow has advised that a Powerful Owl chick has been released in Plateau Park following its recuperation in Taronga Park.
If you see it there being harassed, or even if you see it at all, can you please phone her on 0458 194 127.
Powerful owl family - photo courtesy PNHA
Reliance On 'YouTube Medicine' May Be Dangerous For Those Concerned About Prostate Cancer
Predators Drive Nemo's Relationship With An Unlikely Friend
November 28, 2018: University of QueenslandPredators have been identified as the shaping force behind mutually beneficial relationships between species such as clownfish and anemones.
The finding results from a University of Queensland and Deakin University-led study.
UQ School of Biological Sciences researcher and Australian-American Fulbright Scholar Dr William Feeney said the research aimed to understand the origin of such relationships, known as interspecies mutualisms, which are extremely common in nature.
"Clownfish -- like Nemo from Finding Nemo -- and anemones are a great example of this type of relationship," he said.
"Clownfish live in and around anemones, helping drive off the anemone's predators and providing it with food, while in exchange the anemone provides protection with its stinging tentacles.
"Clownfish have evolved to resist the stings of the anemone, so it ends up being a very beneficial relationship for both species."
The researchers said the study helped explain how natural selection had shaped global patterns of biological diversity.
"We tested and confirmed a very basic and intuitive -- but logistically difficult -- idea in evolutionary ecology," Dr Feeney said.
"In a nutshell, we were looking to find out whether external pressures, such as predators, can explain the repeated evolution of these kinds of mutually beneficial partnerships.
The research combined genetic analysis with field experiments in French Polynesia to build a better understanding of fish-anemone mutualism dynamics.
Deakin University Centre for Integrative Ecology Research Fellow Dr Rohan Brooker said the team found that fish-anemone mutualisms had evolved at least 55 times across 16 fish families over the past 60 million years.
"This is much more common that previously thought. Over a quarter of coral reef-associated fish families have at least one species that associates with anemones," Dr Brooker said.
"Our results suggest that the risk of predation has selected these relationships, and that partnerships with anemones primarily benefit smaller fishes.
"Overall, this study suggests that predation can explain the independent evolution of cooperative behaviours between species, and that this evolutionary pattern could apply globally.
"If you can't find Nemo, it might be a good idea to go rummaging through the tentacles of his anemone friends."
The study is published in Ecology Letters.
William E. Feeney, Rohan M. Brooker, Lane N. Johnston, James D. J. Gilbert, Marc Besson, David Lecchini, Danielle L. Dixson, Peter F. Cowman, Andrea Manica. Predation drives recurrent convergence of an interspecies mutualism. Ecology Letters, 2018; DOI: 10.1111/ele.13184
Clownfish in anemone (stock image). Credit: © The Ocean Agency / Fotolia
November 28, 2018: University of Queensland
Predators have been identified as the shaping force behind mutually beneficial relationships between species such as clownfish and anemones.
The finding results from a University of Queensland and Deakin University-led study.
UQ School of Biological Sciences researcher and Australian-American Fulbright Scholar Dr William Feeney said the research aimed to understand the origin of such relationships, known as interspecies mutualisms, which are extremely common in nature.
"Clownfish -- like Nemo from Finding Nemo -- and anemones are a great example of this type of relationship," he said.
"Clownfish live in and around anemones, helping drive off the anemone's predators and providing it with food, while in exchange the anemone provides protection with its stinging tentacles.
"Clownfish have evolved to resist the stings of the anemone, so it ends up being a very beneficial relationship for both species."
The researchers said the study helped explain how natural selection had shaped global patterns of biological diversity.
"We tested and confirmed a very basic and intuitive -- but logistically difficult -- idea in evolutionary ecology," Dr Feeney said.
"In a nutshell, we were looking to find out whether external pressures, such as predators, can explain the repeated evolution of these kinds of mutually beneficial partnerships.
The research combined genetic analysis with field experiments in French Polynesia to build a better understanding of fish-anemone mutualism dynamics.
Deakin University Centre for Integrative Ecology Research Fellow Dr Rohan Brooker said the team found that fish-anemone mutualisms had evolved at least 55 times across 16 fish families over the past 60 million years.
"This is much more common that previously thought. Over a quarter of coral reef-associated fish families have at least one species that associates with anemones," Dr Brooker said.
"Our results suggest that the risk of predation has selected these relationships, and that partnerships with anemones primarily benefit smaller fishes.
"Overall, this study suggests that predation can explain the independent evolution of cooperative behaviours between species, and that this evolutionary pattern could apply globally.
"If you can't find Nemo, it might be a good idea to go rummaging through the tentacles of his anemone friends."
The study is published in Ecology Letters.
William E. Feeney, Rohan M. Brooker, Lane N. Johnston, James D. J. Gilbert, Marc Besson, David Lecchini, Danielle L. Dixson, Peter F. Cowman, Andrea Manica. Predation drives recurrent convergence of an interspecies mutualism. Ecology Letters, 2018; DOI: 10.1111/ele.13184
Clownfish in anemone (stock image). Credit: © The Ocean Agency / Fotolia
Macquarie University's Faculty Of Business And Economics Earns AACSB International Accreditation
Genetic Mutation Drives Tumour Regression In Tasmanian Devils
Quantum Computing At Scale: Scientists Achieve Compact, Sensitive Qubit Readout
November 26, 2018: University of New South WalesProfessor Michelle Simmons' team at UNSW Sydney has demonstrated a compact sensor for accessing information stored in the electrons of individual atoms -- a breakthrough that brings us one step closer to scalable quantum computing in silicon.
The research, conducted within the Simmons group at the Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology (CQC2T) with PhD student Prasanna Pakkiam as lead author, was published today in the journal Physical Review X (PRX).
Quantum bits (or qubits) made from electrons hosted on single atoms in semiconductors is a promising platform for large-scale quantum computers, thanks to their long-lasting stability. Creating qubits by precisely positioning and encapsulating individual phosphorus atoms within a silicon chip is a unique Australian approach that Simmons' team has been leading globally.
But adding in all the connections and gates required for scale up of the phosphorus atom architecture was going to be a challenge -- until now.
"To monitor even one qubit, you have to build multiple connections and gates around individual atoms, where there is not a lot of room," says Professor Simmons. "What's more, you need high-quality qubits in close proximity so they can talk to each other -- which is only achievable if you've got as little gate infrastructure around them as possible."
Compared with other approaches for making a quantum computer, Simmons' system already had a relatively low gate density. Yet conventional measurement still required at least 4 gates per qubit: 1 to control it and 3 to read it.
By integrating the read-out sensor into one of the control gates the team at UNSW has been able to drop this to just two gates: 1 for control and 1 for reading.
"Not only is our system more compact, but by integrating a superconducting circuit attached to the gate we now have the sensitivity to determine the quantum state of the qubit by measuring whether an electron moves between two neighbouring atoms," lead author Pakkiam states.
"And we've shown that we can do this real-time with just one measurement -- single shot -- without the need to repeat the experiment and average the outcomes."
"This represents a major advance in how we read information embedded in our qubits," concludes Simmons. "The result confirms that single-gate reading of qubits is now reaching the sensitivity needed to perform the necessary quantum error correction for a scalable quantum computer."
Australia's first quantum computing company
Since May 2017, Australia's first quantum computing company, Silicon Quantum Computing Pty Limited (SQC), has been working to create and commercialise a quantum computer based on a suite of intellectual property developed at the Australian Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology (CQC2T).
Co-located with CQC2T on the UNSW Campus in Sydney, SQC is investing in a portfolio of parallel technology development projects led by world-leading quantum researchers, including Australian of the Year and Laureate Professor Michelle Simmons. Its goal is to produce a 10-qubit demonstration device in silicon by 2022 as the forerunner to a commercial scale silicon-based quantum computer.
SQC believes that quantum computing will ultimately have a significant impact across the global economy, with possible applications in software design, machine learning, scheduling and logistical planning, financial analysis, stock market modelling, software and hardware verification, climate modelling, rapid drug design and testing, and early disease detection and prevention.
Created via a unique coalition of governments, corporations and universities, SQC is competing with some of the largest tech multinationals and foreign research laboratories.
As well as developing its own proprietary technology and intellectual property, SQC will continue to work with CQC2T and other participants in the Australian and International Quantum Computing ecosystems, to build and develop a silicon quantum computing industry in Australia and, ultimately, to bring its products and services to global markets.
P. Pakkiam, A. V. Timofeev, M. G. House, M. R. Hogg, T. Kobayashi, M. Koch, S. Rogge, M. Y. Simmons. Single-Shot Single-Gate rf Spin Readout in Silicon. Physical Review X, 2018; 8 (4) DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevX.8.041032
The authors of the paper, from left to right: Ph.D. student Mark R. Hogg; Professor Michelle Simmons; Post Doc Matthew G. House; Ph.D. student Prasanna Pakkiam; Post Doc Andrey Timofeev. Credit: UNSW Sydney
November 26, 2018: University of New South Wales
Professor Michelle Simmons' team at UNSW Sydney has demonstrated a compact sensor for accessing information stored in the electrons of individual atoms -- a breakthrough that brings us one step closer to scalable quantum computing in silicon.
The research, conducted within the Simmons group at the Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology (CQC2T) with PhD student Prasanna Pakkiam as lead author, was published today in the journal Physical Review X (PRX).
Quantum bits (or qubits) made from electrons hosted on single atoms in semiconductors is a promising platform for large-scale quantum computers, thanks to their long-lasting stability. Creating qubits by precisely positioning and encapsulating individual phosphorus atoms within a silicon chip is a unique Australian approach that Simmons' team has been leading globally.
But adding in all the connections and gates required for scale up of the phosphorus atom architecture was going to be a challenge -- until now.
"To monitor even one qubit, you have to build multiple connections and gates around individual atoms, where there is not a lot of room," says Professor Simmons. "What's more, you need high-quality qubits in close proximity so they can talk to each other -- which is only achievable if you've got as little gate infrastructure around them as possible."
Compared with other approaches for making a quantum computer, Simmons' system already had a relatively low gate density. Yet conventional measurement still required at least 4 gates per qubit: 1 to control it and 3 to read it.
By integrating the read-out sensor into one of the control gates the team at UNSW has been able to drop this to just two gates: 1 for control and 1 for reading.
"Not only is our system more compact, but by integrating a superconducting circuit attached to the gate we now have the sensitivity to determine the quantum state of the qubit by measuring whether an electron moves between two neighbouring atoms," lead author Pakkiam states.
"And we've shown that we can do this real-time with just one measurement -- single shot -- without the need to repeat the experiment and average the outcomes."
"This represents a major advance in how we read information embedded in our qubits," concludes Simmons. "The result confirms that single-gate reading of qubits is now reaching the sensitivity needed to perform the necessary quantum error correction for a scalable quantum computer."
Australia's first quantum computing company
Since May 2017, Australia's first quantum computing company, Silicon Quantum Computing Pty Limited (SQC), has been working to create and commercialise a quantum computer based on a suite of intellectual property developed at the Australian Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology (CQC2T).
Co-located with CQC2T on the UNSW Campus in Sydney, SQC is investing in a portfolio of parallel technology development projects led by world-leading quantum researchers, including Australian of the Year and Laureate Professor Michelle Simmons. Its goal is to produce a 10-qubit demonstration device in silicon by 2022 as the forerunner to a commercial scale silicon-based quantum computer.
SQC believes that quantum computing will ultimately have a significant impact across the global economy, with possible applications in software design, machine learning, scheduling and logistical planning, financial analysis, stock market modelling, software and hardware verification, climate modelling, rapid drug design and testing, and early disease detection and prevention.
Created via a unique coalition of governments, corporations and universities, SQC is competing with some of the largest tech multinationals and foreign research laboratories.
As well as developing its own proprietary technology and intellectual property, SQC will continue to work with CQC2T and other participants in the Australian and International Quantum Computing ecosystems, to build and develop a silicon quantum computing industry in Australia and, ultimately, to bring its products and services to global markets.
P. Pakkiam, A. V. Timofeev, M. G. House, M. R. Hogg, T. Kobayashi, M. Koch, S. Rogge, M. Y. Simmons. Single-Shot Single-Gate rf Spin Readout in Silicon. Physical Review X, 2018; 8 (4) DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevX.8.041032
The authors of the paper, from left to right: Ph.D. student Mark R. Hogg; Professor Michelle Simmons; Post Doc Matthew G. House; Ph.D. student Prasanna Pakkiam; Post Doc Andrey Timofeev. Credit: UNSW Sydney
Nanoscale Blood Test Technique Set To Springboard Cancer Discoveries
Landmark Reforms: The Aged Care Act 20th Anniversary
November 30, 2018: The Hon Ken Wyatt AM, MP, Minister for Indigenous Health, Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care
The 2017-18 Report on the Operation of the Aged Care Act 1997coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Act and marks a period of landmark changes, with more to come.
The report highlights the progress of the unprecedented reform agenda, driven by our Government.
Last financial year, the Australian Government spent a total of $18.1 billion on aged care on a range of services for more than 1.3 million senior Australians.
Many thousands of senior Australians receive aged care and support so they can stay in their own homes, in the communities they love, surrounded by family, friends and neighbours.
Our Government continues to deliver its extensive home and residential care support reforms to help people maximise their independence and wellbeing through high quality assistance that takes into account each person’s strengths, capacity and goals.
During the past year, the number of people taking up home care packages increased by nearly 30 per cent.
Expansion of the Home Care Packages Program and the Commonwealth Home Support Program now give senior Australians more choice and control.
Our Government implemented these significant reforms so people can choose their own providers and access the services they want.
Every senior Australian deserves respect and the best possible care. While the Royal Commission into the aged care sector is set to go about its important work, our Government’s aged care reform program will continue at full pace.
The report shows in 2017-18:
- $12.2 billion – almost 70 per cent - of aged care expenditure was on residential aged care
- Two thirds of aged care consumers accessed basic support at home
- More than 3.5 million visits to the My Aged Care website and 1.4 million calls answered by the call centre
- There were more than 880 approved providers of residential aged care and more than 870 approved providers of home care packages
- More than 1,450 organisations were funded to deliver Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) services and overall, there were 783,043 CHSP clients across 2017-18
- 556 funded CHSP organisations and 2,522 residential aged care homes delivered respite care
- $262 million was spent on CHSP grants and $349.6 million in residential subsidies and supplements
- There were 53 operational Short-Term Restorative Care services being delivered by 37 approved providers
- Funding of $35.6 million was provided to 35 services under the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Program
- The National Dementia Behaviour Management Advisory Services provided support to 15,499 cases for family carers, primary and acute care staff and aged care providers to improve the quality of life of a person living with dementia
The report, produced each year in accordance with the 1997 legislation, provides an overview of Australia’s aged care system.
Our Government’s work to support senior Australians is backed by a record $5 billion boost to aged care funding over the next four years.
The 2017-18 Report on the Operation of the Aged Care Act 1997 is available on the GEN Aged Care Data website.
New Quality Standards For Better Aged Care
November 28, 2018: Media Release - The Hon Ken Wyatt AM, MP, Minister for Indigenous Health, Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care
New single Aged Care Quality Standards will empower senior Australians and ensure responsibility and accountability for their care, as the Australian Government implements the most significant changes to quality standards in two decades.
The boards and governing bodies of aged care providers will be clearly accountable for every one of their consumers’ safety and quality of care.
Providers delivering clinical care will be mandated to maintain quality clinical frameworks including infection control, open disclosure to consumers, their families and representatives, and minimising the use of restraint.
Quality care provision will be paramount, with aged care providers required to prove their care and services are safe, effective and focussed on their consumers, including through unannounced visits.
Providers must work hand-in-hand with consumers, their families, and representatives on the delivery of quality services and the management of their day-to-day care.
The new Aged Care Quality Standards cover:
- Consumer dignity and choice
- Ongoing assessment and planning with consumers
- Personal care and clinical care
- Services and supports for daily living
- Organisation’s service environment
- Feedback and complaints
- Human resources
- Organisational governance.
Adherence to each Standard requires:
- A statement of outcome for the consumer
- A statement of expectation for the organisation
- Requirements to demonstrate the standard has been met.
Transition to the new single set of Aged Care Quality Standards is already underway, with full implementation from 1 July 2019.
The new Standards build on our Government’s wide-ranging reforms and highlight our determination to put aged care consumer’s needs at the forefront, at all times.
The Standards will promote further competition and market-focussed improvements, where consumers drive quality and red tape is reduced for consumers, families and providers.
The single Aged Care Quality Standards replaces the four previous sets of aged care standards. The new Standards have been developed through significant consultation and co-design with the aged care sector.
The new Standards will be enforced by the new Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, which promises a new era of aged care quality and confidence when it comes into force on 1 January 2019.
Our Government is currently distributing $50 million to residential aged care providers to support them in transitioning to the new Standards.
The new Standards will apply to all aged care services including residential care, home care, flexible care, and services delivered under the Commonwealth Home Support Program.
Implementation of the new Standards is a critical part of our Government’s aged care reforms, which will continue at full pace, while the Royal Commission undertakes its important and comprehensive inquiry into the aged care sector.
Further information on the new Standards is available from the Department of Health’s website.
Record Growth In Seniors Receiving Home Care Packages
November 30, 2018: The Hon Ken Wyatt AM, MP, Minister for Indigenous Health, Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care
The latest home care report shows increasing choice in home-based care for senior Australians, with almost 92,000 now receiving home aged care packages, a record annual growth rate of 29 per cent.
The Home Care Packages Program Data Report (1st Quarter 2018–19) highlights how the Morrison Government is maintaining its commitment to provide more senior Australians with subsidised care and support, so they can continue to live in their own homes for longer.
During the September Quarter 30,150 home care packages were released, an average of 2,320 per week.
For the first time, detailed breakdowns on the support people receive while they are in the national prioritisation system are included in the report.
The report reveals that more than 95 per cent of people approved for home aged care support have been offered a lower level home care package or have been approved for assistance through the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP).
CHSP assistance is being expanded and includes transport, domestic help such as house cleaning, personal care, home maintenance and modifications, food preparation and meals on wheels, nursing, social support and respite care.
This is on top of the additional $1.6 billion investment in home care packages in the 2018-19 Budget, increasing home care packages to 151,000 by 2022, including 34,000 more high-level packages.
Under Labor, there was no transparency and no national aged care approval system to allow the monitoring of senior Australians’ care needs.
Our Government’s continuing home care expansion is fundamental to our $5 billion aged care funding boost over the next four years, to give senior Australians more certainty, options and independence.
CHSP already assists around 800,000 senior Australians per year and our Government is growing the program from January 2019, with an extra $100 million over two years.
We will provide more than $2.7 billion for the CHSP and $2.5 billion for the Home Care Packages Program this financial year.
Home care packages services include personal clinical care, mobility, domestic assistance, nursing, nutrition and transport.
For more information about the Home Care Packages Program Data Report (1st Quarter 2018–19) go to the GEN Aged Care Data website.
NASA InSight Lander Arrives On Martian Surface
November 26, 2018: NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Mars has just received its newest robotic resident. NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) lander successfully touched down on the Red Planet after an almost seven-month, 300-million-mile (458-million-kilometer) journey from Earth.
InSight's two-year mission will be to study the deep interior of Mars to learn how all celestial bodies with rocky surfaces, including Earth and the Moon, formed.
InSight launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California May 5. The lander touched down Monday, Nov. 26, near Mars' equator on the western side of a flat, smooth expanse of lava called Elysium Planitia, with a signal affirming a completed landing sequence at 11:52:59 a.m. PST (2:52:59 p.m. EST).
"Today, we successfully landed on Mars for the eighth time in human history," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "InSight will study the interior of Mars and will teach us valuable science as we prepare to send astronauts to the Moon and later to Mars. This accomplishment represents the ingenuity of America and our international partners, and it serves as a testament to the dedication and perseverance of our team. The best of NASA is yet to come, and it is coming soon."
The landing signal was relayed to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, via NASA's two small experimental Mars Cube One (MarCO) CubeSats, which launched on the same rocket as InSight and followed the lander to Mars. They are the first CubeSats sent into deep space. After successfully carrying out a number of communications and in-flight navigation experiments, the twin MarCOs were set in position to receive transmissions during InSight's entry, descent and landing.
From Fast to Slow
"We hit the Martian atmosphere at 12,300 mph (19,800 kilometers per hour), and the whole sequence to touching down on the surface took only six-and-a-half minutes," said InSight project manager Tom Hoffman at JPL. "During that short span of time, InSight had to autonomously perform dozens of operations and do them flawlessly -- and by all indications that is exactly what our spacecraft did."
Confirmation of a successful touchdown is not the end of the challenges of landing on the Red Planet. InSight's surface-operations phase began a minute after touchdown. One of its first tasks is to deploy its two decagonal solar arrays, which will provide power. That process begins 16 minutes after landing and takes another 16 minutes to complete.
The InSight team expects a confirmation later Monday that the spacecraft's solar panels successfully deployed. Verification will come from NASA's Odyssey spacecraft, currently orbiting Mars. That signal is expected to reach InSight's mission control at JPL about five-and-a-half hours after landing.
"We are solar powered, so getting the arrays out and operating is a big deal," said Tom Hoffman at JPL. "With the arrays providing the energy we need to start the cool science operations, we are well on our way to thoroughly investigate what's inside of Mars for the very first time."
InSight will begin to collect science data within the first week after landing, though the teams will focus mainly on preparing to set InSight's instruments on the Martian ground. At least two days after touchdown, the engineering team will begin to deploy InSight's 5.9-foot-long (1.8-meter-long) robotic arm so that it can take images of the landscape.
"Landing was thrilling, but I'm looking forward to the drilling," said InSight principal investigator Bruce Banerdt of JPL. "When the first images come down, our engineering and science teams will hit the ground running, beginning to plan where to deploy our science instruments. Within two or three months, the arm will deploy the mission's main science instruments, the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) and Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package(HP3) instruments."
InSight will operate on the surface for one Martian year, plus 40 Martian days, or sols, until Nov. 24, 2020. The mission objectives of the two small MarCOs which relayed InSight's telemetry was completed after their Martian flyby.
"That's one giant leap for our intrepid, briefcase-sized robotic explorers," said Joel Krajewski, MarCO project manager at JPL. "I think CubeSats have a big future beyond Earth's orbit, and the MarCO team is happy to trailblaze the way."
With InSight's landing at Elysium Planitia, NASA has successfully soft-landed a vehicle on the Red Planet eight times.
"Every Mars landing is daunting, but now with InSight safely on the surface we get to do a unique kind of science on Mars," said JPL director Michael Watkins. "The experimental MarCO CubeSats have also opened a new door to smaller planetary spacecraft. The success of these two unique missions is a tribute to the hundreds of talented engineers and scientists who put their genius and labor into making this a great day[BA(1]."
JPL manages InSight for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The MarCO CubeSats were built and managed by JPL. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the InSight spacecraft, including its cruise stage and lander, and supports spacecraft operations for the mission.
A number of European partners, including France's Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), are supporting the InSight mission. CNES, and the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), provided the SEIS instrument, with significant contributions from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany, the Swiss Institute of Technology (ETH) in Switzerland, Imperial College and Oxford University in the United Kingdom, and JPL. DLR provided the HP3 instrument, with significant contributions from the Space Research Center (CBK) of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Astronika in Poland. Spain's Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) supplied the wind sensors.
For more information about InSight, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/insight/
For more information about MarCO, visit:
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cubesat/missions/marco.php
For more information about NASA's Mars missions, go to:
https://www.nasa.gov/mars
An artist illustration of the InSight lander on Mars. InSight, short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is designed to give the Red Planet its first thorough check up since it formed 4.5 billion years ago. The mission will look for tectonic activity and meteorite impacts, study how much heat is still flowing through the planet, and track Mars' wobble as it orbits the sun. While InSight is a Mars mission, it's more than a Mars mission. InSight will help answer key questions about the formation of the rocky planets of the solar system. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech