Doug Watches Big Ice Cube Melt

The ice breaker, Auruora Australis, is heading south on a five-week marine science expedition, the first Australian voyage of this season's Antarctic program. The ship will drop about 15 people off on Macquarie Island to work on summer wildlife programs, before heading to the Antarctic. The voyage leader, Doug Thost, says among other things it is hoped to study an iceberg which broke off from the Ross Ice Shelf several years ago.

"It is 90 kilometres long, 40 kilometres wide and we're hoping to put an automatic weather station on that and also we're looking at how fast these things melt," he said.


ABC News Online, 14 October 2002