Icebreaker Aurora Australis back in port
Australia's icebreaker Aurora Australis has returned to Hobart bringing back new information about marine life under the world's largest ice sheet, ABC News reported.
More than 50 researchers from eight countries have spent the past two months on board.
They have been using an underwater robot to record more than 40 hours of vision of life under the East Antarctic ice sheet.
The voyage was not without problems, with ice freezing over late last month, leaving scientists stuck for 11 days.
In some parts the ice was 20 metres thick.
The crew eventually used helicopters to guide them back to the open sea.
The delay meant the Aurora missed a visit by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall to Tasmania.
Antarctic Division director Tony Fleming would not be drawn on the cost of the delay but says the extra time at sea brought research benefits.
"The delay aided the scientists because they were able to much more science and much more detailed science at a particular ice station," he said.
"So it didn't affect the science that could get done, in fact, it really aided their scientific investigations."
Modelling predicts sea ice in Antarctica could decline by 35 per cent by the end of the century.
The scientists say their research will be useful in determining whether recent dramatic changes in ice conditions on the West Antarctic Peninsula are mirrored on the eastern side.
They have also collected valuable information about the distribution of sea ice algae and krill populations living up to 20 metres beneath the ice surface.
The Aurora Australis is being restocked and will head south again for Australia's Davis Station in the next few days.
