27 June, 2016
Antarctic sea ice is constantly on the move as powerful winds blow it away from the coast and out toward the open ocean. A new study published today in the journal Nature Geoscience (Monday 27 June) shows how that ice migration may be more important for the global ocean circulation than anyone realized.
Read more on Wind-blown Antarctic sea ice helps drive ocean circulation
20 June, 2016
On Tuesday June 21st, scientists and support staff based at research stations in Antarctica will celebrate Midwinter’s Day, the shortest day of the Austral Winter. In a tradition that goes …
20 June, 2016
The medical evacuation from the US South Pole station via British Antarctic Survey’s Rothera Research Station has been completed successfully. A Twin Otter arrived in Punta Arenas, Chile in the …
16 June, 2016
Levels of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere – which is the leading driver of recent climate change – have reached a milestone at British Antarctic Survey’s …
13 June, 2016
This paper shows that, contrary to long-held ideas, the intensity of competition (density of direct, physical spatial contests) differs little with latitude. However, the severity of competition (contests with a …
10 June, 2016 Timothy Morley
Tim Morley, Zoological Field Assistant at Bird Island, shares a typical week at Bird Island Research Station as he prepares for midwinter…. With many of our species finishing breeding for …
Read more on ANTARCTIC BLOG: Typical week at Bird Island Station
8 June, 2016
An exhibition showing how the isolation of Antarctica is used as a platform for understanding space opens this week (7-12 June) at The Times Science Festival in Cheltenham.
Read more on Antarctic ‘space’ exhibition opens in Cheltenham
Accessing subglacial environments
31 May, 2016
International declaration marks the 25th anniversary of the signing of the 1991 Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty
Read more on UK reaffirms commitment to protecting Antarctica
19 May, 2016
Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica is currently one of the single biggest contributors to sea-level rise with an estimated volume loss of 1.2mm sea-level equivalent per decade. The loss …
Read more on FEATURED PAPER: Improved modelling of ice-ocean processes
6 May, 2016
UK’s £200m Polar Research Ship to be named after Sir David Attenborough, days before the broadcaster’s 90th birthday “Boaty McBoatface” to live on as the name of the ship’s high-tech …
Read more on UK’s £200m Polar Research Ship named in honour of Sir David Attenborough
26 April, 2016
New research highlights differences between the tropics and the poles Rivalry between species is common the world over as animals fight for territory and resources such as food. But, according …
31 March, 2016 Susie Grant
The ship’s science labs have all been packed up and cleaned, kit boxes stowed in the container, cargo paperwork finished and cruise reports written. The SO-AntEco team is ready to …
31 March, 2016
Research published this week by an international team of scientists, including the British Antarctic Survey, provides new insights into how carbon dioxide changed in the oceans surrounding Antarctica during glacial …
25 March, 2016 Hilary Blagbrough
Oh look it’s snowing/raining and getting dark… it must be time for the Night Shift. I’m Hilary, the night shift leader on the SO-AntEco scientific cruise to the South Orkney …
23 March, 2016 Susie Grant
Last week was UK Science Week, and we asked schools and anyone else who had burning questions about the Antarctic deep sea to send them to us here on the …
Read more on SHIP BLOG: Science Week questions answered from the Southern Ocean
17 March, 2016
The Amundsen Sea Low (ASL) is a climatological low pressure system located over the southern Pacific Ocean, off the coast of West Antarctica. Atmospheric variability in this region is larger …
Read more on FEATURED PAPER: Circulation changes off West Antarctica
17 March, 2016 Harriet Clewlow
Life on Signy Island has been pretty hectic for the last couple of weeks with multiple ship visits, saying goodbye to old colleagues, welcoming new base personnel and, in between, …
Read more on ANTARCTIC BLOG: The many “hats” of a polar scientist
16 March, 2016 Laura Robinson
Lost in a Sea of Biology! Dr Laura Robinson is interested in documenting and understanding the processes that govern climate on time scales ranging from the modern day back through hundreds of …
23 February, 2016 Jerry Gillham
Bird Island Research Station has a small staff team; no more than 10 in summer and just four over winter. We have no doctor on station though all staff receives …
19 February, 2016 Jamie Coleman
Life on the sub Antarctic Island of South Georgia working for BAS is an amazing experience. South Georgia has the perfect combination of spectacular landscape and incredible wildlife. We have millions …
Read more on Life on the sub Antarctic island of South Georgia
17 February, 2016
Take part in an online consultation about Europe’s research priorities for the Polar Regions
Read more on NEWS STORY: Consultation – polar research priorities for Europe
12 February, 2016 Alex Taylor
Despite being one of BAS’s smallest stations, I would argue that Signy is one of the most remote. Situated in the South Orkney Islands, at a relatively northerly 60 degrees …
8 February, 2016 Ali Massey
I am sat gazing with child-like wonder through my office window at the huge snow-flakes falling outside and, despite the fact that the snowstorm is obscuring my usual spectacular view …
Read more on ANTARCTIC BLOG: meet Ali – Rothera’s lab manager
5 February, 2016 Athena Dinar
“I feel like I’m home” says BBC weather forecaster Peter Gibbs as he sets foot on the Brunt Ice Shelf. It’s an emotional moment for him; the last time he …
4 February, 2016 Stephen Roberts
One of the aims of the ANiSEED project is to find and map evidence that, in the past, ice has covered the mountains here in Marie Byrd Land. To do …
29 January, 2016 Iain Rudkin
January the twenty sixth. My pre-deployment brief suggested that I should currently be partaking of all the luxuries Rothera Research Station has to offer. Enjoying that period of self-satisfaction which …
27 January, 2016 Joanne Johnson
Reflections from the ANiSEED team in Marie Byrd Land Field Guide Al Docherty recounts his most memorable day of the field season so far: “7am the alarm goes off. I look …
27 January, 2016 Joanne Johnson
Every person who works in Antarctica has a different experience and takes away different memories because our perception is shaped so much by our previous life experiences. The four of …
27 January, 2016 Athena Dinar
Ten days ago we left Cape Town on the RRS Ernest Shackleton bound for Antarctica. Today we hit the ice. And quite literally we are hitting the ice! The ship …
26 January, 2016 Tom Jordan
Wrapping up I have started several of my blog posts saying I am writing in various odd/unusual/uncomfortable locations…the back of a Twin Otter, or in a mountain tent high on …
23 January, 2016
Scientists now have a new tool to investigate the deep structure of the least understood continent on Earth
19 January, 2016 Athena Dinar
Antarctica is extraordinary. It is a continent of superlatives – breathtaking, beautiful, hostile, awe-inspiring and life-changing. A trip to the ice always gets under my skin. It somehow puts my …
15 January, 2016 Tom Jordan
One week on from departing Rothera into the field and the first leg of the PolarGAP survey at FD83 is almost over, I get to sit back, relax a bit …
12 January, 2016
British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is recruiting now. The smooth operation and maintenance of our research stations depends on skilled technical support teams. Check out our latest vacancies!
11 January, 2016 Joanne Johnson
The challenges of glacier travel The ANiSEED project field area lies between two of the most rapidly changing glaciers in Antarctica, the Smith and Kohler Glaciers. These have thinned more …
8 January, 2016
Two British Antarctic Survey (BAS) personnel, and one former member of staff, have been awarded the Polar Medal. The announcement was made today (Fri. 8th Jan 2016) in the London …
6 January, 2016 Tom Jordan
The altimeter in the front of the Twin Otter aircraft is showing 8500 ft as we cruise due south from Rothera research station for the next leg in our PolarGAP …
5 January, 2016 Joanne Johnson
Greetings from Marie Byrd Land! The waiting is over….we finally arrived at our field site on 11th December, after a 4 hour flight from Sky Blu one of BAS’s fuel …
4 January, 2016 Ashly Fusiarski
Life in Antarctica can be difficult but strangely the more difficult it is, the easier it becomes. Life starts to be simple. One only has to do whatever it takes. The …
Read more on ANTARCTIC BLOG: Polar guide tackles the long wait #6
1 January, 2016
Dr Emily Shuckburgh, British Antarctic Survey’s Deputy Head of Polar Oceans, was among those named in the New Year’s Honours List. She has been awarded an OBE for services to …
23 December, 2015 Thomas Barningham
Welcome to my blog. My name is Thomas Barningham and I’m currently in the third year of my PhD at the University of East Anglia. My work aims to understand …
16 December, 2015
This paper reveals that the amount of snowfall in coastal West Antarctica has increased during the 20th century, with annual snow accumulation since the 1990s the highest we have observed …
12 December, 2015 Joanne Johnson
Geologist Jo Johnson waits patiently to go deep-field
10 December, 2015
The British Antarctic Oral History Project is the result of a collaboration between the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), BAS Club, UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT), and Scott Polar Research Institute …
7 December, 2015 Tom Jordan
Tom Jordan is part of the PolarGAP project, an ambitious international collaboration which will use airborne geophysics to explore one of the last known frontiers on our planet – the …
2 December, 2015 Ashly Fusiarski
As we finally approached our input site I could see our future home in the distance, a little black dot on a frozen white ocean, slowly growing in size as …
25 November, 2015 Ashly Fusiarski
A week after iBeam departed, our aircraft arrived at Sky-Blu from Rothera to take us further into the field, to our winterised vehicles, to our start point. The call sign …
Read more on ANTARCTIC BLOG: Polar guide flies into the field – #4
23 November, 2015
New season tackles ambitious science and logistical challenges The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) 2015/16 field season is underway with dozens of scientists and support staff – together with planes and tonnes …
20 November, 2015 Thomas Welsh
New summer season starts at Halley
19 November, 2015 Joanne Johnson
Being a parent working in Antarctica
19 November, 2015
The Earth’s climate was warmer than today by at least 1°C during the Last Interglacial (between 129,000 and 116,000 years ago). Thus, the Last Interglacial represents an invaluable case study …
16 November, 2015
A new study by an international team of scientists, including from British Antarctic Survey (BAS), has analysed the effects on seabed communities of glacial retreat. Writing in Science Advances this …
12 November, 2015 Joanne Johnson
A long drive ahead….update from polar guides preparing for a geology project in remote Marie Byrd Land Whilst Steve Roberts and I are preparing to depart the UK for Rothera …
6 November, 2015 Ashly Fusiarski
“Goodbyes” get harder each time so I avoid them by saying “See you later” as if I’m just going to the shop. The journey South is long and for me …
Halley Research Station is the British Antarctic Survey’s most southerly Research Station and is built on a floating ice shelf. All the vehicles at Halley are tracked and can be …
Ensuring our Antarctic vehicles fleet performs in extreme conditions
27 October, 2015 Sian Tarrant
Leopard seal peak The penultimate month of the lep round has been by far the most exciting. September has been the busiest month yet for leopard seal sightings. It has …
Read more on ANTARCTIC BLOG: Busy month for leopard seal sightings!
26 October, 2015 Ashly Fusiarski
It’s four AM and I’m wide awake, staring at the deep blue and black shadows on the ceiling of my bedroom. I allow myself just this once to indulge in …
21 October, 2015 Sian Henley
Find out about NERC Research Fellow Dr Sian Henley’s preparations for her fifth visit to Rothera Research Station and what she looks forward to onboard the RRS James Clark Ross.
Read more on GUEST BLOG: Ready for Antarctic trip number five!
13 October, 2015
Recent research in polar and non-polar regions showed that sun-lit snow packs are important chemical reactors and reservoirs, which strongly influence air quality of the lower atmosphere and likely also …
7 October, 2015
Antarctic seabird community structure remains unaffected by changes in food availability A new study of sub-Antarctic seabirds shows that their community structure (how they co-exist and share resources) is unaffected …
7 October, 2015 Joanne Johnson
Science team goes deep field to Marie Byrd Land
6 October, 2015
NERC funds PhD training in robotics and autonomous systems
28 September, 2015
Warmer temperatures stimulate diversity of soil fungi Remote and covered by ice for much of the year the Antarctic Peninsula is home to hidden and dynamic communities of microbes that …
Read more on PRESS RELEASE: Fungal diversity in Antarctic soils
25 September, 2015
BAS scientists awarded grant to study penguins’ reliance on krill Norwegian and British scientists are to take part in a research project to determine how dependant non-breeding penguins are on …
28 August, 2015
Most comprehensive ice loss model A new international study is the first to use a high-resolution, large-scale computer model to estimate how much ice the West Antarctic Ice Sheet could …
12 August, 2015
In February 2002, satellite images from a remote location in Antarctica revealed how an immense volume of floating ice, up to 1km thick, suddenly collapsed. Over the course of a …
Read more on FEATURED PAPER: Glacier response to ice shelf collapse
10 August, 2015
Antarctic fur seals have unique ‘scent profile’ to recognise their pups Researchers studying Antarctic fur seals have discovered their scent has a unique ‘profile’ which enables them to recognise their …
22 July, 2015
Why does Antarctica matter? Young Geographer of the Year Award 2015 The Royal Geographical Society is running a schools competition to mark the centenary of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance expedition, …
To assess the wider impact of global climate changes on the environment we are investigating intervals of deep geological time that provide clues about the evolution and sensitivity of organisms …
We aim to detect patterns and mechanisms of late glacial and Holocene climate change and to place recent human impacts on the Earth’s climate system in the context of long …
Shallow UW Camera System can work to depth up to 1000m, showing a black and white live low resolution video stream and can take colour high resolution stills. The system consists …
BAS has developed aerogravity systems that can be mounted in its geophysical survey aircraft, or in a UAV. Over 100,000 km of gravity data has been collected since such systems …
The radar system is composed of a complex waveform generator, signal processor, data handler and data store. It includes a high power transmitter (up to 66dBm or 4kW), a low …
Two of the four BAS Twin Otters are equipped with a full remote sensing capability, providing scientists with data on land, ice and sea. This includes VNIR & SWIR hyperspectral …
Enabling ice observation programmes
Specialist team for specialist work
Operational support for UK polar research is managed by our Operations teams. The team covers a wide range of activities from managing Arctic and Antarctic Research stations, operating polar ships …
4 June, 2015
FREE event: ‘Discover Antarctica’ at British Geological Survey Open Day, Saturday 27 June, 10am-4pm Staff from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) will showcase its work at this year’s British Geological Survey …
Read more on NEWS STORY: Space weather features at free event
26 May, 2015
Petrels tracked across the Oceans Staff at British Antarctic Survey (BAS) are following the journeys of White-chinned Petrel fledglings as they make their first journeys over the South Atlantic Ocean …
19 May, 2015
EU boost for polar science A new initiative to enhance the integration of Europe’s scientific and operational capabilities in the Polar Regions has been funded by the EU Horizon 2020 …
18 May, 2015
Announcement of opportunity – Antarctic construction works associated with a new polar research vessel. Cambridge Seminar 4 June 2015 In April 2014 the British Government earmarked more than £200 million …
13 May, 2015
New study shows Antarctic ice shelf is thinning from above and below A decade-long scientific debate about what’s causing the thinning of one of Antarctica’s largest ice shelves is settled …
11 May, 2015
30th Anniversary of the Discovery of Ozone Hole This week British Antarctic Survey (BAS) commemorates the 30th anniversary of one of its most important scientific discoveries that affected the world …
Airborne instrument capability
30 April, 2015
NERC Advanced Training Short Course A Skills Framework for Delivering Safe and Effective Fieldwork in the Polar Regions Course date: 26 August – 8 September 2015 Deadline for applications: 4pm, …
29 April, 2015
First new family of starfish discovered in hydrothermal vents A new family of deep-sea starfish has been discovered living in the warm waters around a hydrothermal vent in the East …
Exploring the unknown, predicting the future
Exploring the unknown
Providing geospatial information support to BAS science and operations programmes
Understanding the present, predicting the future
Understanding past change in ice sheets, oceans and global climate
Understanding the present, exploring the unknown
Our ambition Is to support the UK’s polar research effort through effective and efficient operation and management of research stations and deep-field locations in the Antarctic, the subantarctic and in …
Predicting the future