Page 3 – British Antarctic Survey

Blog: South Georgia whale expedition in full swing!

22 January, 2020 Jennifer Jackson

BAS biologist Dr Jennifer Jackson shares updates from the South Georgia southern right whale expedition currently in progress in the sub-Antarctic. During January 2020, the British Antarctic Survey’s wild water …

Predicting non-native ‘invasions’ in Antarctica

13 January, 2020

A new study identifies the non-native species most likely to ‘invade’ the Antarctic Peninsula region over the next decade. It provides a baseline for all operators in the region to …

Festive Greetings from Antarctica

20 December, 2019

As you make the last preparations for the festive period, spare a thought for those who will be working away in Antarctica for British Antarctic Survey. Over 300 staff, scientists …

Antarctica: Getting Ready for RRS Sir David Attenborough

19 December, 2019

A major modernisation programme at British Antarctic Survey’s (BAS) Rothera Research Station begins its second ‘summer season’ this month with the arrival of a 60-plus person team from BAM. Construction …

New high-precision map of Antarctica’s bed topography

12 December, 2019

A team of glaciologists has unveiled the most accurate portrait yet of the contours of the land beneath Antarctica’s ice sheet – and, by doing so, has helped identify which …

Studies highlight fragility of Antarctic ecosystems

29 November, 2019

Two studies published in a special issue of the journal Science Advances this week (27 November 2019) highlight the fragility of the Antarctic and its ecosystems in the lead up …

Scientists head to Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier

14 November, 2019

Nearly 100 scientists and support staff depart this week (13 November 2019) for the most ambitious mission to date for Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica. In the second year of …

Space weather study wins accolade

4 November, 2019

A team of international researchers, including Professor Richard Horne from British Antarctic Survey, has been awarded best research study from the journal Risk Analysis for 2019. The study, led by …

PODCAST – Iceworld, Episode 1 – Maps

1 November, 2019 Robert Taylor

Mapping in Antarctica – podcast

Study recommends special protection of emperor penguins

9 October, 2019

In a new study published this week (Wednesday 9 October) in the journal Biological Conservation, an international team of researchers recommends the need for additional measures to protect and conserve …

New report reveals state of the planet

26 September, 2019

MONACO: Hundreds of scientists and Government representatives met in Monaco this week to finalise the new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a …

Warming up the Antarctic: Harder than you think

29 July, 2019 Melody Clark

Professor Melody Clark, Project Leader, discusses the trials and tribulations of undertaking research in Antarctica. Her latest paper published in Nature Communications shows that rising sea temperatures of just 1-2 …

Antarctic krill use ‘hotspots’ for their young

25 July, 2019

New research, published this week (24 July 2019) in the journal PLOS ONE, shows how Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), a key species in the Southern Ocean food web, choose different …

A propellor areoplane next to the flags of the Antarctic Treaty nations, behind the south pole marker

Reaffirmed international commitment to Antarctic Treaty

11 July, 2019

PRAGUE 11 July 2019 Twenty-nine nations today [11 July 2019] reaffirm their commitment to the treaty that protects and preserves Antarctica as a continent for peace and science. Sixty years …

Discovery of rare lava lake on remote sub-Antarctic island

3 July, 2019

A team of scientists has discovered a rare lava lake on a remote and inaccessible sub-Antarctic island. This volcano in the South Sandwich Islands is only the 8th to be identified worldwide to have a persistent lava lake.

Engineers automate science from remote Antarctic station

25 June, 2019

A remote and unoccupied research station in Antarctica has, for the first time, collected important scientific measurements of climate, ozone and space weather thanks to ground-breaking technology developed by British …

A group of people standing on top of a snow covered slope.

Midwinter Celebrations in Antarctica

21 June, 2019

British Antarctic Survey (BAS) are celebrating Midwinter’s Day in Antarctica. In a tradition which began in the days of Captain Scott, today’s event (Friday 21 June) marks the shortest, and …

Boaty McBoatface (Autosub Long Range) at its first Antarctic deployment into the Weddell Sea off RRS James Clark Ross

Boaty McBoatface sheds light on warming ocean abyss

18 June, 2019

The debut mission involving the autonomous submarine Autosub Long Range – affectionately known as Boaty McBoatface – has for the first time shed light on a key process linking increasing …

A large body of water with a mountain in the background.

Solar heat drives rapid melting of Antarctic Ice Shelf

29 April, 2019

A section of the world’s largest ice shelf in Antarctica – around the size of Spain – is melting 10 times faster than average and warm ocean currents beneath it …

“Core on deck” – Analysis begins

18 March, 2019 Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand

Dr Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand tells us more about what happens once a sediment core has been recovered from the seafloor.

Expedition to Larsen C ice shelf thwarted by sea ice

11 March, 2019

Sea-ice conditions have prevented the Research Icebreaker Polarstern from reaching the Larsen Ice Shelf and the calving areas of iceberg A68.

Halley Research Station closes for 2019 Antarctic winter

27 February, 2019

British Antarctic Survey (BAS) Halley VI Research Station has closed for the 2019 Antarctic winter after a successful summer field season. It will re-open again in November this year. The …

Persistence and brilliant engineering

15 February, 2019 Nadescha Zwerschke

Nadescha Zwerschke is a marine biologist, who was travelling on the RRS James Clark Ross (JCR) as part of the ICEBERGS 2 cruise in December 2018. Having left Burdwood Bank …

A group of people riding on the back of a horse in the snow.

British Antarctic Survey celebrates its 75th birthday

4 February, 2019

February 2019 marks the 75th anniversary of the origins of British Antarctic Survey, which began when the secret wartime mission “Operation Tabarin” arrived in Antarctica and set up base. This was the start of a permanent UK scientific presence in Antarctica.

A polar bear swimming in a body of water.

Seals to act as sentinels of remote Antarctic glacier

29 January, 2019

Scientists will use two species of seals to investigate a huge glacier in West Antarctica that is at risk of collapse. A team of over 20 polar scientists from the …

Drilling for success

29 January, 2019 Michael Dinn

In January 2019 a science and engineering team drilled over two kilometres through the ice sheet in West Antarctica using hot water. It was the first time they had done this …

International research expedition heads to West Antarctica

28 January, 2019

An international team of scientists is travelling to the Amundsen Sea – one of the most vulnerable sectors of the Antarctic Ice Sheet – to answer vital scientific questions about …

New study looks at risk to Antarctic marine life in future

17 January, 2019

A new study of the animals living in polar oceans reveals which are most at risk from climate change. The study is published today (17 January) in Frontiers in Marine …

Digging begins in construction of new Antarctic wharf

14 January, 2019

First digging has begun to deconstruct the old wharf at Rothera Research Station as part of modernisation work to transform the way British Antarctic Survey delivers frontier science

A body of water with a mountain in the background.

The impact of ‘alien’ species in Antarctica

19 December, 2018

Of the known non-native or ‘alien’ species found in Antarctica, a non-biting species of midge currently presents one of the highest risks to terrestrial ecosystems, researchers have found. The preliminary …

British Antarctic Survey seeks small passenger aircraft for Antarctica

18 December, 2018

British Antarctic Survey is seeking to purchase a small passenger aircraft to work alongside its de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Series 110 (Dash 7). The aircraft will transport science and support teams and cargo between Rothera Research Station on the Antarctic Peninsula and Punta Arenas, Chile.

‘Sounds of Space’ from Antarctica feature in space simulation game

11 December, 2018

Amazing, natural, ‘sounds of space’, have been incorporated into the new exploration gameplay in Elite Dangerous

Summer fieldwork begins at Halley

11 December, 2018

Halley opens for 2018 summer field season

Blog: The artistry of Antarctic logistics

6 December, 2018 Stephen Smith

Earth’s Final Frontier – the title given to the frozen continent by journalists and academics alike, and with good reason. Antarctica stands resolute and alone, separated from mainland South America …

A flock of seagulls standing next to a body of water.

Seabird populations on Antarctic Peninsula unexpected

5 December, 2018

Results of a new study on Antarctic seabirds shows a larger percentage of their populations inhabit important nesting sites around Ryder Bay, close to British Antarctic Survey’s Rothera Station than …

A group of people riding skis on top of a snow covered slope.

Ambitious UK-U.S. Antarctic research mission begins

19 November, 2018

A team of UK and U.S. polar scientists are about to embark on one of the largest joint Antarctic missions for more than 70 years. It’s the first field season …

Living my dream of working in Antarctica

9 November, 2018 Matthew Southworth

Plant operator and enthusiastic environmentalist Matt Southworth finds his dream of working in Antarctica coming true!

Eyes on ice – medical research from Antarctica

2 November, 2018

Medical research in Antarctica

New Antarctic field season begins

30 October, 2018

Science and support teams from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) are gearing up for the start of the Antarctic summer field season. A major focus for the season is the West …

Medical Evacuation Successfully Completed

1 October, 2018

A medical evacuation from the British Antarctic Survey’s (BAS) Rothera Research Station was successfully completed this weekend. The evacuation was a precautionary measure in order for the patient to be …

Practice makes perfect

26 September, 2018

The construction team responsible for building a new Antarctic wharf at Rothera Research Station have been practicing full-scale assembly of the 30 tonne steel rigs in Southampton before deployment South. …

World Ozone Day – 16th September

16 September, 2018

The 2018 ozone hole began forming in late August and won’t reach its largest for over a fortnight. Already it covers most of the Antarctic continent, an area of 14 …

Plastic debris on a beach at Bird Island

Plastic solutions: workshop at BAS

10 September, 2018

People, Plastics and the Planet is an international workshop to tackle the global plastic waste problem taking place at British Antarctic Survey’s Aurora Innovation Centre from 18th – 21st September 2018. Organised by BAS, Cambridge University and Value in Enterprise offers the unique opportunity for scientists and entrepreneurs to spend four days developing and testing ideas to address challenges posed by plastics in our environment.

State of the Polar Oceans report published

18 July, 2018

Report published July 2018

The State of the Polar Oceans 2018

17 July, 2018 by Michael Meredith, Andrew Meijers, Eugene Murphy, Mark Belchier, Simeon Hill, Paul Holland, Geraint Tarling, Philip Trathan, John Turner, Jeremy Wilkinson, Layla Batchellier, Linda Capper, Jamie Oliver

British Antarctic Survey archives awarded United Nations recognition

9 June, 2018

A collection of reports and photos from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), documenting the UK’s leading role in the modern era of Antarctic exploration, is being inscribed onto UNESCO’s UK …

UK-Argentina science collaboration agreement signed

16 May, 2018

On Monday 14 May, the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the Instituto Antártico Argentino (IAA) signed a memorandum of understanding that aims to provide a formal framework to joint scientific …

A large body of water with a reseach station in the background.

Special issue on how oceans are changing

14 May, 2018

The seas around the Antarctic Peninsula are biologically extremely rich, but are climatically sensitive, having experienced some of the fastest warming globally in recent decades. A special issue of the …

“Hairdryer winds” cause ice melt during Antarctic winter

3 May, 2018

A new study involving scientists from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) suggests for the first time that warm winds are creating large surface melting of ice shelves in Antarctica during the …

A train on a track with smoke coming out of it.

Prestigious international award for oceanographer

30 April, 2018

Professor Mike Meredith wins prize

New study reveals increased snowfall in Antarctica over last two centuries

9 April, 2018

The first comprehensive study of snowfall across Antarctica provides vital information in the study of future sea-level rise. Presenting this week (Monday 9 April 2018) at the European Geosciences Union …

SCIENCE AT SEA: Setting off for the Scotia Sea

15 March, 2018 Zoe Roseby

Zoë Roseby is a member of the science team from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) currently aboard the RRS Discovery. Read on to discover what the team will be investigating in …

ENGINEERING AT SEA: Supporting Marine Science

9 March, 2018 Carwyn Davies

Mechanical engineer Carwyn Davies, from British Antarctic Survey’s Antarctic Marine Engineering (AME) is working onboard the RRS James Clark Ross with our science team to investigate Larsen C Benthos. Find …

STATION SCIENCE: Higher predator monitoring

5 March, 2018 Kieran Love

Kieran Love tells us what it is like to be the Zoological Field Assistant at King Edward Point Research Station (KEP) on South Georgia. So, what does being a zoological …

Research mission to Larsen C Ice Shelf thwarted by sea ice

2 March, 2018

Heavy sea ice conditions have thwarted a science mission from reaching the Larsen C Ice Shelf in Antarctica from which a large iceberg broke off in July 2017. A team …

SCIENCE IN THE SEA: You study what?

28 February, 2018 Mel Mackenzie

Dr Mel Mackenzie, a Collection Manager of Marine Invertebrates at Museums Victoria in Melbourne, is living and working on board the BAS research ship RRS James Clark Ross for the …

SCIENCE IN THE SEA: The adventure begins

22 February, 2018 Rowan Whittle

British Antarctic Survey (BAS) palaeobiologist Dr Rowan Whittle is a member of the Larsen C Benthos research cruise onboard the RRS James Clark Ross. Rowan’s primary role is to assist …

SCIENCE IN THE SEA: Studying Southern Right Whales

13 February, 2018 Layla Batchellier

Find out what the South Georgia Right Whale Expedition team have been up to during their first few weeks sailing in the waters around South Georgia. Firstly, Susannah Calderan tells …

First expedition to newly exposed Antarctic ecosystem

12 February, 2018

A team of scientists, led by British Antarctic Survey (BAS), heads to Antarctica this week (14 February) to investigate a mysterious marine ecosystem that’s been hidden beneath an Antarctic ice …

A group of people standing on top of a snow covered mountain.

Celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2018

11 February, 2018 Zoe Waring

To celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11th February), Zoe Waring, the Marine Assistant at Rothera Research Station, has written a blog about her work at British …

SCIENCE IN THE SEA: Rolling, rolling, rolling

7 February, 2018 Jennifer Jackson

Whale ecologist Dr Jennifer Jackson, who is leading the first expedition to ‘health-check’ southern right whales since whaling stopped in the 1970s, describes how she and the team prepared for …

Celebrating 60 years of Antarctic science

5 February, 2018

Our congratulations go to the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), who this week celebrate six decades of successful international collaboration.

Life in the slow lane

19 January, 2018

A new study from British Antarctic Survey shows how five common Antarctic marine invertebrates (animals without a backbone) use less energy to feed, grow and reproduce than their temperate and …

Lanternfish reveal how ocean warming impacts the twilight zone

12 January, 2018

A new study from the British Antarctic Survey shows how lanternfish, small bioluminescent fish, are likely to respond to the warming of the Southern Ocean. Lanternfish are one of the …

A group of people on a boat in the water.

SCIENCE IN THE SEA – Part 4: Sea ice and science

28 December, 2017 Ryan Scott

Following the glider deployments our next destination was Rothera, the UK’s biggest Antarctic research station on Adelaide Island. Good progress was made until we hit the sea ice – 120 …

SCIENCE IN THE SEA – Part 3: Gliders galore!

20 December, 2017 Ryan Scott

It was finally time to deploy the gliders and I couldn’t be more excited! Autonomous vehicles are regarded as the future of oceanography, and I feel extremely lucky to be …

SCIENCE ON THE ICE – Part 2: Setting up camp at Little Dome C

18 December, 2017 Robert Mulvaney

This Antarctic season BAS scientist Dr Robert Mulvaney is taking part in the ongoing hunt for the oldest ice record Beyond Epica. Using a variety of different techniques, he and …

SCIENCE IN THE SEA – Part 2: Busy biologists!

12 December, 2017 Ryan Scott

First thing I learn as I begin my trip aboard the RRS James Clark Ross is that, scientist on research cruises need to be able to adapt quickly! Within two …

Tiny ice losses at Antarctica’s fringes can accelerate ice loss far away

11 December, 2017

A thinning of small areas of floating ice at Antarctica’s coast can accelerate the movement of ice grounded on rocks hundreds of kilometres away, a new study involving scientists from …

A man riding skis down a snow covered mountain.

New satellite imagery reveals new highest Antarctic Peninsula Mountain

11 December, 2017

Cartographers surveying Antarctica have discovered Mt Hope is the tallest mountain in the British Antarctic Territory (BAT) at 3,239 m (10,654 ft) above sea level. Until now, maps showed Mt …

Collaborative Antarctic Science Scheme – Applications invited

4 December, 2017

Applications are invited for the Collaborative Antarctic Science Scheme (CASS) for Antarctic fieldwork in the 2018/19 field season. The closing date is 5th March 2018. CASS provides opportunities for UK-based …

Giant West Antarctic iceberg disintegrates

29 November, 2017

An animation of the giant iceberg that calved off the Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica just over two months ago shows an unexpected break up. Satellite images revealed a …

SCIENCE IN THE SEA – Part 1: Journey to the JCR!

29 November, 2017 Ryan Scott

After 6 days, 9505 miles and 7 mm of beard growth, the cruise has officially started! Thursday 16th November and finally the time had come for me start my journey …

A group of people posing for the camera.

SCIENCE ON THE ICE – Part 1: The search for the oldest ice continues

23 November, 2017 Robert Mulvaney

BAS glaciologist Dr Robert Mulvaney journeys deep into Antarctica where he and the team continue their search for the oldest ice record of atmosphere and climate – hopefully stretching back 1.5 million years.

Maps reveal landscape beneath Antarctica’s weak underbelly

20 November, 2017

A UK team of researchers has produced high-resolution maps of the bed beneath a major glacier in West Antarctica, which will help them predict future sea-level rise from this region. …

Halley VI Research Station ready for 2017 summer season

10 November, 2017

Station opens for 2017 summer season

Penguins in a snowy landsscape in front of a research station

Halley Research Station will not winter in 2018

31 October, 2017

British Antarctic Survey (BAS) has decided, for safety reasons, that it will close its Halley VI Research Station during the 2018 Antarctic winter. This will be the second time that …

‘Scars’ left by icebergs record West Antarctic ice retreat

25 October, 2017

Thousands of marks on the Antarctic seafloor, caused by icebergs which broke free from glaciers more than ten thousand years ago, show how part of the Antarctic Ice Sheet retreated …

BBC Blockbuster Blue Planet II returns

23 October, 2017

Blue Planet II – the nature documentary that explores the deepest and darkest realms of the world’s oceans – is back on the BBC some 16 years after it was …

SCIENCE IN THE LAB: From the Polar Plateau to Cambridge

19 October, 2017 Holly Winton

A new blog from Polar Atmospheric Ice Chemist Dr Holly Winton, who is part of the ISOL-ice research project, explaining the process from fieldwork on the Polar Plateau to laboratory work …

Scientists to visit hidden Antarctic ecosystem after giant iceberg calving

9 October, 2017

A team of scientists, led by British Antarctic Survey (BAS), is planning an urgent mission to investigate a mysterious marine ecosystem that’s been hidden beneath an Antarctic ice shelf for …

New study calls for unified research to understand changing ecosystems

2 October, 2017

A new multidisciplinary study led by scientists at British Antarctic Study (BAS) stresses the need for an integrated approach to understand the effects of climate change on Antarctic marine ecosystems. …

Milestone in construction of RRS Sir David Attenborough

29 September, 2017

Rolls-Royce is marking a major milestone on the journey towards the completion of Britain’s new polar research vessel the RRS Sir David Attenborough being built by Merseyside shipyard Cammell Laird.

A snowy landscape with the sea in the background

Large iceberg breaks off Pine Island Glacier

27 September, 2017

Latest satellite images reveal a new 100-square-mile iceberg emerging from Antarctica’s Pine Island Glacier. The calving event did not come as a complete surprise, but is a troubling sign with …

A person riding skis down a snow covered mountain.

Special protection for area exposed by Larsen C iceberg

19 September, 2017

An international agreement is now in place to give special protection to the area of ocean left exposed when one of the largest icebergs ever recorded broke free from the …

World Ozone Day: 30th anniversary of Montreal Protocol

11 September, 2017

This week (Saturday 16 September), marks the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. It is one of the most successful …

More losers than winners for Southern Ocean marine life

4 September, 2017

A new study of the marine invertebrates living in the seas around Antarctica reveals there will be more ‘losers’ than ‘winners’ over the next century as the Antarctic seafloor warms. …

A group of people in a boat on a body of water.

Antarctic marine life may grow faster in a warming world

31 August, 2017

A team of scientists has discovered that a 1°C rise in local sea temperature has massive impacts on an Antarctic marine community. These new results are published this week (31 …

Zooplankton resilient to long-term warming

29 August, 2017

Temperature plays an important role in the distribution of ocean plankton communities and has the potential to cause major distribution shifts, as recently observed in the Arctic. A new study …

A person flying through the air on a snow covered slope.

Impact of giant Antarctic iceberg – update on Larsen-C

2 August, 2017

The largest remaining ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula lost 10% of its area when an iceberg four times the size of London broke free earlier this month. Since …

SCIENCE IN THE SEA: Ocean sampling day at Rothera

27 July, 2017 Zoe Waring

Zoe Waring, the Rothera Marine Assistant provides us with an account of the recent Ocean Sampling Day at Rothera. Since 2012, the Rothera Marine Assistant has been collecting samples for World …

Cooking up a storm at King Edward Point Research Station

25 July, 2017 Jerry Gillham

In this blog Jerry Gillham, station leader at King Edward Point Research Station, describes how his team have tackled an unusual cooking challenge. With no dedicated chef at King Edward …

New study explains moss migration across the globe

19 July, 2017

A new study on mosses found in the polar regions reveals when and how often they have migrated across the Equator. Mosses are the dominant flora in Antarctica, yet little is known of …

A man and a woman smiling for the camera.

Couple tie the knot in Antarctica

17 July, 2017

Polar field guides Julie Baum and Tom Sylvester tied the knot on Saturday (15 July) at British Antarctic Survey’s (BAS) Rothera Research Station. This was the first official wedding to …

Huge Antarctic iceberg finally breaks free

12 July, 2017

After months of ‘hanging by a thread’ a vast iceberg the size of Norfolk has finally broken off Antarctica’s Larsen C Ice Shelf. Around 30 metres of this 190m thick …

Wedding bells in Antarctica

11 July, 2017

Polar field guides Julie Baum and Tom Sylvester tie the knot this weekend (15-16 July) at British Antarctic Survey’s (BAS) Rothera Research Station. It is the first official wedding to …

Study shows ice sheet loss over the last 11,000 years

5 July, 2017

Reporting this week (Wednesday 5 July) in the journal Nature, an international team of researchers led by British Antarctic Survey (BAS) explains that wind-driven incursions of warm water forced the …

Research outputs