Clues are in the clouds

ICEBREAKER Aurora Australis will make its first Antarctic voyage of the summer, carrying scientists to study supercooled clouds in a bid to better understand the clouds that form over the Southern Ocean.

About $14 million of hi-tech weather monitoring equipment has been fitted to the ship for the joint Australia-US research project.

“We are going to look at the composition of clouds, how much ice or water they contain and how they affect the weather and climate of the region,” Australian Antarctic Division atmospheric scientist Simon Alexander said ahead of the boat’s departure from Hobart yesterday afternoon.

The study is one of 92 Antarctic projects over summer – AAD’s busiest time.