The Antarctic Research Centre provides world-leading research on how the Antarctic is responding to climate change and the consequences, both globally and for New Zealand.
We believe this research opens up exciting opportunities and challenges for young scientists, as well as providing a sound basis for international debate and policy development on global change issues.


Antarctic and ocean floor sedimentology
Our sedimentary research provides important archives of changes in ice sheets and glaciers and their influence on climate and sea level through time.
Sedimentology researchClimate from ice cores
Our research into ice cores helps New Zealand to understand the major Southern Hemisphere climate drivers causing high frequency climate variability.
Ice core research

Glacier and ice sheet modelling
Our modelling research allows us to investigate how New Zealand and Antarctic glaciers and ice sheets respond to past, present and future climate change.
Glacier modelling research
NZ's glacier melt linked to human-caused warming
New research has found extreme melting of NZ's glaciers in 2018 was at least ten times more likely due to human-caused global heating.

Largest polar research expedition
ARC researcher becomes the first New Zealand researcher to join MOSAiC, the world's largest international polar research expedition.

PM's Science Prize winner's
The ‘Melting Ice & Rising Seas Team’, from the Antarctic Research Centre in partnership with GNS Science and NIWA, was awarded the 2019 PM's Science Prize.

IceSked newsletter
Keep informed about exciting fieldwork conducted by our staff and students in New Zealand and Antarctica, new research, outreach and other activities.

Nature lover to a geology career
Olya Albot's PhD project investigates the carbon sequestration potential of Aotearoa’s saltmarsh cores and their resilience to future impacts of sea-level rise.

Untouched beauty
Explore our glacial, geological and picturesque scenes set in breath-taking Antarctic and New Zealand landscapes.

ARC is carbon neutral!
In 2017, the ARC became the first institute at Victoria University of Wellington to go carbon neutral through the purchase of rainforest offsets from Ekos.
EKOS