National Radio On Ice

National Radio On Ice

Radio New Zealand’s Veronika Meduna is off to the Antarctic for two weeks as part of Antarctica New Zealand’s media programme. Veronika Meduna produces Environment Matters for National Radio.

Veronika, who will be recording material for future programmes while she is on the ice, says she hopes to look at a whole range of issues including the results of an impending assessment of the environmental health of the Ross Sea Region.

“Antarctica is recognised as the world’s last great wilderness and it plays a critical role in the functioning of global ecosystems. Yet, human activities have impacted on the continent, including the Ross Sea Region. The State of the Environment report will provide a summary of what we know about the region, its environmental health and the threats to its unique and special values."

Veronika says she’s also interested in the latest research on climate change. “Because of its extreme climate, Antarctica is a sensitive barometer. A lot of the current research projects focus on climate change – studying the effects of previous temeprature shifts to get a better picture of what may lie ahead.”

“Ozone hole prediction will be another issue I’ll be tackling with scientists who are there on the spot. This year’s ozone hole is not as large as last year’s record, but researchers are already predicting that it’s impact will come a little later, which means that the highest UV radiation will conincide with the height of summer.”

Apart from these topics, Veronika hopes to speak to a number of other research groups, including scientists who study Adelie penguins and the unique microbial ecology of the historic huts.

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