The CAST Conference was held on 28 August 2024 at the University of Tasmania’s Centre for the Arts, Hobart.
Conference highlights:
Nuyina tours – Australia’s Antarctic icebreaker, RSV Nuyina, is the main lifeline to Australia’s Antarctic and sub-Antarctic research stations and a key platform of our Antarctic and Southern Ocean scientific research. Conference attendees had the opportunity to join guided tours of the Nuyina, to explore its facilities and capabilities.
Gliders and AUVs – Gliders and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are autonomous platforms that are becoming essential for Antarctic and Southern Ocean research. They can operate under harsh conditions, collecting high-resolution data over long durations and vast areas that scientists usually can’t access, such as beneath sea ice and ice shelves. Dr Pat Lewis from the Australian Antarctic Program and Rob Gregor from CSIRO led a technical workshop on this technology.
Deep Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) – Deep Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) are tethered platforms that provide crucial information into the largely unexplored deep-sea ecosystems, and even complex under-ice environments. They allow for detailed observation and sample collection that are otherwise almost impossible for scientists to achieve. Brett Muir from CSIRO and Vanessa Lucieer from the University of Tasmania led a technical workshop on Deep ROVs.
The conference also included talks and sessions about new innovations in marine imagery, data sharing, drones and the mid-life refit of Australia’s dedicated blue-water research vessel, RV Investigator, operated by CSIRO.
The full conference program is available available here.
