Antarctic sea ice research wins award from Chief of Defence Force
14 August 2024
The importance of sea ice science has been recognised with the award of the 2025 Chief of Defence Force Fellowship to a PhD student in the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership (AAPP).
Daniel Atwater’s PhD project is on ‘Quantifying the relationship between Antarctic sea ice and continental shelf waters — their global significance and importance to Australia’s strategic southern interests.’
Lieutenant Commander Atwater, a meteorologist and oceanographer with the Royal Australian Navy, said the Fellowship provides him with the opportunity to undertake a year of full-time study towards completing his PhD that will complement his professional naval training.
“The CDF Fellowship is a great honour and I have a deep sense of gratitude to the Australian Defence Force for providing me this opportunity,” he said.
Daniel’s research aims to create an accurate simulation of Antarctic landfast sea ice (the immobile floating ice attached to the coast) and the physical drivers in the Southern Ocean responsible for its development.
This would enable a deeper investigation of the role that landfast ice plays in the formation of dense shelf water and underpin a forecasting system for the Southern Ocean.
“Our national interest in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica continues to grow each decade.”
“The research that Australia is investing in brings a heightened awareness of the Southern Ocean’s significant role in the global climate system and the strategic importance of our southern border,” Daniel said.
Chief of the Defence Force, Admiral David Johnston AC RAN, said he is pleased to provide this well-deserved opportunity to Lieutenant Commander Atwater, whose research demonstrates great potential for advancing Australia’s strategic interests.
“The CDF Fellowship is an invaluable opportunity for ADF members to innovate in service to our nation, and I look forward to Daniel’s discoveries as he progresses this important work,” Admiral Johnston said.
Rear Admiral James Lybrand, Commander of the Australian Defence College, said Lieutenant Commander Atwater will be posted to the Australian Defence College to undertake his study, commencing in early 2025.
“I am confident his research will bolster Australia’s defence capabilities through follow-on improvements to operational forecasting.”
“I congratulate him on receiving his Fellowship and wish him all the best for his year of research,” he said.
Professor Nathan Bindoff, leader of the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership at the University of Tasmania, said that Daniel’s award is testament to the quality of his research and its application to improved forecasting.
“Studying for a PhD while working full-time is no easy feat, and I’m very pleased that Daniel will be supported by the CDF Fellowship to accelerate his research and complete his thesis.”
“It’s great to see the Australian Defence Force building expertise in meteorology and oceanography in the Antarctic region, and I’m proud of the contribution of AAPP sea-ice scientists Dr Alex Fraser and Dr Will Hobbs as two of Daniel’s PhD supervisors,” he said.
