Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies

The Institute aims “to improve understanding of temperate marine, Southern Ocean, and Antarctic environments, their resources, and their roles in the global climate system through research, education, and outreach”. These programs are linked by three key cross-disciplinary themes to meet integrative and multidisciplinary research goals: Climate change, Ocean-Earth systems, and Oceans and Antarctic governance The Australian Research Council's (ARC) Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) initiatives provide a specific benchmark for the core IMAS disciplines of oceanography and fisheries sciences, and in 2012 IMAS contributed to the University of Tasmania achieving grade 5 scores in oceanography, ecology, and geology, and in fisheries sciences. ==Facilities==

A new 69,000m² building on the Hobart waterfront was completed in 2013, to co-locate IMAS, Australia's Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre (ACE CRC), and the Tasmanian Partnership for Advanced Computing (TPAC) staff and students. The building is adjacent to CSIRO, and aims to serve as a hub for collaborative marine and Antarctic studies. The project was an initiative of the Australian Government as part of the Education Investment Fund. Planning is underway for existing research and educational infrastructure totaling ~4,500m², south of Hobart at Taroona, to be significantly expanded with new aquaculture and controlled-environment experimental saltwater facilities. Planned new capabilities include temperate/polar ocean simulations and enhanced aquaculture research. ==Partnerships==

• Australian Antarctic Division • Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Co-operative Research Centre (to be co-located with IMAS) • CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research • Integrated Marine Observing System (to be co-located with IMAS) • Tasmanian Partnership in Advanced Computing (to be co-located with IMAS) • National Centre for Marine Conservation and Resource Sustainability at the AMC (NCMCRS), • Faculty of Science, Engineering, and Technology, University of Tasmania • Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific ==References==