SAEF scientists embark on research voyage to pristine and remote Heard Island

A team of SAEF scientists departed today on the Australian Antarctic Program research voyage to Heard Island and McDonald Islands. The expedition is a rare opportunity to visit one of the world’s most pristine wilderness areas and conduct fieldwork that will inform its long-term conservation as a World Heritage site. 

The two-month long expedition, led by the Australian Antarctic Division, will take 11 SAEF scientists alongside approximately 125 other scientists and crew to the islands on Australia’s state-of-the-art icebreaker, the RSV Nuyina. 

“Heard and McDonald Islands are some of the most remote and untouched places on Earth, lying thousands of kilometres from any major human population. These islands offer a unique opportunity to study an almost pristine wilderness shaped by climate and environmental factors largely in the absence of direct human pressures,” said Laura Phillips, SAEF’s lead scientist on the expedition who is based at Monash University. 

The sub-Antarctic islands are located in the Southern Ocean, around 4,000 southwest of Perth. Heard Island is dominated by Big Ben, an over 2,800 m high active volcano blanketed in glaciers. The island is surrounded by the small archipelago of the McDonald Islands, and has the Antarctic Circumpolar Current flowing through them connecting their seafloor habitat with those across the Southern Ocean and beyond. 

“The island’s biodiversity is like nowhere else, including unique species that have adapted to the often harsh conditions of the sub-Antarctic environment. However, change is occurring in the region, with shifting climates and glacial retreat opening up new ice-free areas. These pressures will impact the island’s biodiversity in ways that we don’t yet fully understand,” said Laura. 

The SAEF team will survey the island’s lush diversity of vegetation, including cushion and cabbage plants, tussock grasses and mosses. They will also assess the island’s cold-adapted invertebrates, including weevils, springtails, spiders, and mites, and the octopus, urchins, sea stars and other species that live across the seafloor. It’s also likely they may uncover species that are new to science. 

“The presence of volcanic activity means the waters are very fertile and rich in nutrients which supports a diverse array of benthic life,” said Edel Sheerin, a SAEF PhD student based at James Cook University. The upcoming expedition will be her first to the Antarctic region.  

“This region is relatively less explored than other parts of the Southern Ocean therefore it’s crucial to assess the marine biodiversity present today as we need to understand how the region will respond to challenges and future threats such as climate change.”  

The team expects to gain a better understanding of the current status of the biodiversity, including what species are present and whether any new invasive species have established, alongside insights into how these ecosystems are being impacted by climate change, glacier retreat and other human impacts.

On land the team will use a range of methods including on-ground surveys, the collection of specimens and remote sensing technologies, such as drones fitted with sensors that can map vegetation across the island. Meanwhile from the high-tech floating laboratory of the RSV Nuyina, the team will collect seafloor specimens, and from small boats they’ll deploy remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to survey the underwater environment. 

“All the data we collect will provide insights into biological processes and change occurring in the region, which will be key to guiding effective conservation and management strategies to help protect this extraordinary place and its unique biodiversity into the future,” said Laura. 

The findings from this research expedition in partnership with the Australian Antarctic Division will support Australia’s ongoing work to conserve these islands as some of the most pristine ecosystems left on Earth. This includes providing the evidence-base to support the Australian Government to manage the newly expanded Heard Island Marine Reserve, which was recently quadrupled in size and update the Heard Island Management Plan.

As part of SAEF’s commitment to developing the next generation of Antarctic scientists, the SAEF team consists entirely of early-career researchers with over 70% of them having previous Antarctic, sub-Antarctic or Arctic field experience. 

SAEF early career researcher Vincent Free has just returned from his first voyage to the Antarctic region after joining the Australian Antarctic Program’s first research and supply voyage of the 2025/26 season. While on the voyage he conducted a range of fieldwork, related to SAEF’s biosecurity research including surveying Heard Island’s coast and testing the RSV Nuyina’s internal water systems to detect non-native species. 

“It’s been a once in a lifetime journey to Heard Island and Antarctica aboard Nuyina. Heard Island is a scarcely touched natural gem and one the most difficult places in the world to get to. My fieldwork has been successful, collecting imagery of Heard Island’s nearshore marine communities for the first time, and surveying the marine biodiversity near the ship’s anchorage at Davis station.”

“Digital media, marine invertebrate samples, sediment and water samples collected were collected on this expedition, and these will produce many scientific outputs which may help inform biosecurity practices in the future to protect Antarctic and Subantarctic marine environments.”

The RSV Nuyina will set sail from Hobart and travel to Heard Island via Antarctica to resupply Casey Station. Follow the voyage via SAEF’s LinkedIn and Instagram. 

The SAEF team includes scientists from Monash University, QUT, James Cook University and the University of Adelaide.