澳大利亚南极部门在Heard Island进行的两次子南极考察中，向超过50名科学家发放了存在严重缺陷的装备和漏水帐篷[1]。根据内部政府文件，这些帐篷的外壳未做防水处理、拉链多处失效、防寒层厚度不足，且未进行接缝防水处理[1]。考察队员在2025年10月至2026年1月期间共停留35天[1]。
第二次考察期间，当地遭遇极端天气，风速达85节（时速157公里）[1]。强风导致多个营地的帐篷倒塌，营地物资散落，并造成轻微人员伤害[1]。澳大利亚在此次考察中首次检测到H5禽流感，并清除了1吨以上的历史毒物[1]。
Australia's Antarctic Division supplied over 50 scientists with substandard gear and defective tents during two expeditions to Heard Island between October 2025 and January 2026, according to internal government documents [1]. The equipment exhibited multiple critical failures, including non-waterproof tent shells, malfunctioning zippers, and inadequate insulation layers, with seams left unsealed against moisture [1].
The consequences of these equipment failures became apparent during the second expedition when extreme weather struck the remote location in the Southern Ocean, approximately 4,000 kilometers southwest of Perth [1]. Wind speeds reached 85 knots (157 kilometers per hour), causing tent collapses across multiple campsites and resulting in minor injuries to personnel [1]. Equipment and supplies were scattered throughout the affected camps during the severe weather event [1].
Despite the challenging conditions and equipment problems, the expeditions achieved significant scientific milestones [1]. The teams conducted Australia's first-ever detection of H5 avian influenza and successfully removed over one ton of historical toxic materials from the island [1]. The researchers spent a combined 35 days on Heard Island across the two expedition periods [1].