About this site

The Antarctic Soils Explorer provides access to a spatial database containing historic soil samples, collected between 1964-1999, which were recently collated by Manaaki Whenua, as part of The Frozen Assets project. This project was kindly supported by Te Tahua Taiao Ngā Taonga Lottery Environment and Heritage (grant number R-LEH-2021-179212). The data relating to each sample site can be browsed and viewed on an interactive map. Use the "Browse data" link at the top of the page or click here to view the data, and you can find further information and assistance with navigating these pages in the Help section.

A ‘Māori journeys South’ section covers stories about pre-European journeys into the Southern Ocean. We trust that mātauranga (knowledge, understanding) can be informed by the Antarctic samples and data that have been collated here.

In addition to the historic soil database, the project has curated other historical records, such as photographs, field books, publications and verbal accounts relating to research trips carried out on the Antarctic continent. Some of this content is presented here in the form of Stories. The stories include a background in to Antarctic history, an overview of soil research in Antarctica and insights into the expeditions undertaken by some of the pioneering soil scientists from New Zealand. The rest of the content can be accessed via links on the Media archive page, or you can view our Help section which contains information on how to use these pages.

The below links give some detail about Antarctic soil science, the background of the project, and interviews with some of the scientists involved.