Watch an introduction to the 2018 Antarctic field trip:
Introduction to Antarctica - cool science in action 2018 from LEARNZ on Vimeo.
Monday 12 November
Antarctica... here we come!
Report to the Antarctic Passenger Terminal in Christchurch to check in for your flight to Antarctica. Take your seat on the C17 Globemaster aircraft and buckle up for your five hour flight to the ice.
Wednesday 14 November
Tour de Scott Base
Take a guided tour of New Zealand's Antarctic base and settle into your home for the next week.
Antarctic Field Training
Meet John, an Antarctic Field Trainer, to learn and practice what you need to know about staying safe while living and working in Antarctica.
Thursday 15 November
Pisten Bully to Cape Evans
Jump aboard a Pisten Bully vehicle and head out across the sea ice to Cape Evans, north of Scott Base to visit the K043 science field camp.
Setting up a Science Field Camp
Meet Andrew Martin from the University of Tasmania and find out more about how the K043 team set up their field camp and why they chose Cape Evans for their research.
Responsible Camping
Follow scientist Andrew Martin, as you tour the field camp and see what they do to reduce their impact on the fragile environment of Antarctica.
Friday 16 November
Mind that hole!
Meet Emiliano a PhD student from the University of Tasmania and find out how they have drilled a hole in the sea ice to study sea ice microbial communities.
Sea ice gardens
Talk with Andrew Martin about the importance of sea ice algae. Discover how these gardens form the base of the Antarctic marine food web and how scientists will be testing how these algae respond to changes in sea ice and snow depth.
Shelter for the night
Help Shelley to pitch a tent and find out what you need to spend a comfortable night out in Antarctica.
Monday 19 November
Breaking through the sea ice
Talk with Ken Ryan about why they need to drill a new hole in the sea ice and how this will be done. See blocks of ice being removed and discover what's growing on the underside of this ice.
Emperor encounter
Enjoy a close encounter with some inquisitive emperor penguins out at Cape Evans.
Cape Evans - a special place in Antarctica
Meet Lizzie Meek from the Antarctic Heritage Trust and find out why Cape Evans is such an Antarctic landmark. Discover more about the area's history and the science that has been done here in the past.
Tuesday 20 November
SIMCO - Sea Ice Microbial Communities
Talk to Ken Ryan about what microbes make up the Sea Ice Microbial Community and the role of sea ice algae in the Antarctic marine ecosystem. Then take a closer look at sea ice algae under a microscope.
Algae - where the action is
Come inside a lab at Cape Evans and talk to Fraser about his experiments on sea ice algae. Find out what stresses this algae and how this can be measured.
Clever tools to measure SIMCO
Meet Vanessa from the University of Tasmania in Hobart and find out more about the technology that will help scientists to monitor sea ice microbial communities. Take a look at the prototype they will be using for the first time to map sea ice algae.
Call to action
Climate Change will change Antarctica and impact on people throughout the world. Talk to Matilda about climate change and think about the small steps you can take to help reduce your own carbon footprint.
For teachers
For help and more information about LEARNZ videos, go to Help with Videos in the LEARNZ Support section.
Video question sheet - Word (31k) | PDF (217k) | Google doc to use for each video (based on SOLO Taxonomy).
