‘A dream experiment’: our Australian icebreaker is on a crucial mission to Antarctica | Nathan Bindoff

Australia ’s national icebreaker, RSV Nuyina , is steaming south-west from Hobart on its first dedicated marine science voyage.

Onboard are more than 60 scientists and technicians, many on their first research cruise.

The 110-kilometre-long Denman Glacier is a vast river of ice draining the East Antarctic ice sheet.

It sits on the seafloor in a canyon about 3.5 kilometres below the surface.

If the Denman were to melt entirely, it could contribute about 1.5 metres to global sea level rise.