The Tasmanian Minister for Climate Change, Nick McKim, has praised the contribution of the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre (ACE CRC) at the University of Tasmania. Visiting the Centre on December 7, Mr McKim said the ACE CRC was making an invaluable contribution to improving our understanding of the impacts of climate change. "Researchers and scientists at ACE CRC are investigating a number of critical scientific uncertainties that currently limit Australia’s and the global community’s ability to respond effectively to climate change," Mr McKim said."They are world leaders in their field." Mr McKim said the ACE CRC recently received funding from the Commonwealth Government for a further five years. "This funding recognised the importance and high quality of the climate change science being conducted at the Centre," he said. "We are very fortunate to have such a critical mass of Antarctic and climate ecosystems researchers here in Tasmania." Mr McKim said the ACE CRC’s five-year research plan will focus on a number of areas including changes in the Southern Ocean’s temperature and currents, the role of the Southern Ocean in storing carbon and the impacts of changes on Southern Ocean ecosystems. He said the ACE CRC is also undertaking the Climate Futures for Tasmania project, which uses sophisticated climate modelling techniques and current knowledge to describe the most likely future climate scenarios for Tasmania.

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