Australian Antarctic Program
Location
The station is located on Macquarie Island, between Tasmania and Antarctica.
Research
Research on Macquarie Island in recent years has focussed on conservation and environmental management through a variety of studies investigating how the island has responded to the long-term pest eradication programs of cats, rabbits, ship rats and mice. Other scientific programs on Macquarie Island include examining changes in the atmosphere, analysing geological processes and investigating remediation technologies for fuel spill and metal contamination. The island is an important year-round observational site for the Bureau of Meteorology and Geoscience Australia in monitoring southern hemisphere climatic data, and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) in their role to detect evidence of nuclear explosions as part of an international monitoring network in support of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
Biodiversity
Throughout the year, the Macquarie Island teems with vast congregations of wildlife. Where the nutrient rich waters of the Southern Ocean meet warmer northern waters, rich feeding grounds are created and make the island an ideal haven for penguins, seals and seabirds to live and breed. Macquarie Island was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1933. In 1997, World Heritage status was granted due to its outstanding geological and natural significance.
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