11 December, 2024 Emily Newton
Water is one of the pillars of humanity’s survival – and yet there’s still much to explain about the processes that bring water to some of the world’s largest populations. …
Read more on Precipitation at the Third Pole: the race to understand Himalayan rainfall
3 December, 2024
A new species of tusk shell, a burrowing marine mollusc, has been discovered in deep, North Atlantic waters by scientists from British Antarctic Survey and the Senckenberg Society for Nature …
Read more on New deep-sea mollusc species co-habits with anemone
26 November, 2024
A project looking at how clouds affect climate change in Antarctica starts its second year of field research this month. The Southern Ocean Clouds (SOC) project, which is part of …
Read more on Cloud scientists take to the skies to solve climate uncertainty
24 November, 2024
From their unmistakable tusks to their characteristic bristles (the envy of many a ‘Movember’ moustache!), the walrus is one of the Arctic’s most iconic species, and today (Sunday 24 November) …
22 November, 2024
A new study examines the risk to whales from ship strikes – the leading cause of death worldwide for the species. Thousands of whales are injured or killed each year …
Read more on Whale-ship strikes reduced if 2.6% of ocean made safer
20 November, 2024
New research shows that increased levels of plastic pollution in the Southern Ocean could reduce the ability of Antarctic krill, a tiny shrimp-like crustacean, to help take CO2 from the atmosphere. The …
Read more on Plastic reduces how krill remove carbon into deep ocean
19 November, 2024
An international research team, led by British Antarctic Survey (BAS), has been awarded £3.7M to advance a ground-breaking study on how underwater tsunamis are triggered by glacier calving around Antarctica. …
12 November, 2024
A team of researchers are using drones and satellite images from space to count southern elephant seals on the sub-Antarctic Island of South Georgia. Using remotely piloted aerial systems (RPAS) …
Read more on Drones and images from space count elephant seals
24 October, 2024
The Antarctic field season is now underway, marked by the arrival of the first aircraft at Rothera Research Station. And with a new season brings a new roster of innovative …
7 October, 2024
*It’s not too late to sign up to Ticket to Antarctica. Your name can join RRS Sir David Attenborough in the Falkland Islands* Do you dream of visiting Antarctica? Well, …
Read more on Get your Ticket to Antarctica! Your name will go on a journey to the frozen wilderness
4 October, 2024
New research released today in Nature Geoscience reveals that vegetation cover on the Antarctic Peninsula has increased more than tenfold in the past four decades. Researchers from University of Exeter, University …
Read more on Satellite observations show accelerating greening of Antarctic Peninsula
1 October, 2024
A greater understanding of how climate change impacts at a regional level is vital to developing effective climate policies that protect communities from escalating risks. A team, including researchers from …
Read more on Regional data highlights emerging climate change signals
20 September, 2024
New science briefing summarises results of the ambitious international collaboration to study Antarctica’s most worrying glacier Cambridge: A vast area of the Antarctic Ice Sheet continues to retreat as a …
13 September, 2024
Antarctica’s rapidly receding sea ice could have a negative impact on the food supply of seabirds that breed hundreds of miles away from the continent. New research led by the …
Read more on Antarctica’s sea ice could impact seabirds’ food supply
12 September, 2024
Your name will go on a journey to the frozen wilderness! New project seeks to inspire, educate and entertain the public about Antarctica. Do you dream of visiting Antarctica? Well, …
6 August, 2024
The first continent-wide mapping study of plant life across Antarctica reveals growth in previously uncharted areas, and is set to inform conservation measures across the region. Published today in Nature …
Read more on First Antarctic-wide survey of plant life to aid conservation efforts
2 August, 2024
An international research team deployed the uncrewed submersible ‘Ran’ underneath 350 m thick ice. They got back the very first detailed maps covering extensive areas of the underside of a …
Read more on Mysterious patterns revealed on ice shelf bottom
1 August, 2024
An interdisciplinary team of researchers is heading back to Greenland this week (30 July) for the second phase of the Wandel Dal Project. This unique project aims to unravel the …
Read more on Expedition to Greenland will piece together movements of ancient civilisation
29 July, 2024 Kate Hendry
You might imagine glaciers as vast, cold, and lifeless rivers of ice, but they’re far more dynamic and alive than we once thought. Kate Hendry, polar oceanographer at British Antarctic …
23 July, 2024
Seabirds are among the most threatened creatures globally, often due to incidental mortality (bycatch) in fisheries. Several hundreds of thousands of seabirds are thought to be killed worldwide each year …
17 July, 2024
Scientists have for the first time taken in-situ ocean measurements during the collapse of a giant iceberg in the sub-Antarctic. These new observations reveal how ocean ecosystems may be affected …
Read more on Mega-iceberg melt affects important marine ecosystem
4 July, 2024
For the first time, researchers, including from British Antarctic Survey, have combined unique geological samples with sophisticated modelling to provide surprising insights into when and where today’s East and West …
25 June, 2024
Warm water that seeps underneath can melt ice in way not yet included in models A new and worrying way that large ice sheets can melt has been characterised by …
Read more on New tipping point discovered beneath the Antarctic ice sheet
22 May, 2024
In the first successful attempt to calibrate walrus counts from satellite imagery, scientists used drones to validate animal counts in Svalbard, Norway. This International Day for Biological Diversity, the researchers …
Read more on Drones validate walrus counts in satellite images from space
20 May, 2024
Scientists at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have found that the record-low levels of sea ice around Antarctica in 2023 were extremely unlikely to happen without the influence of climate …
Read more on Record low Antarctic sea ice ‘extremely unlikely’ without climate change
18 May, 2024
Comprehensive digital maps of Antarctica are now available to all, following the latest update of the Antarctic Digital Database. A new map viewer brings together all of the Antarctic Digital …
Read more on New interactive map of Antarctica available to all
17 May, 2024
Professor Lloyd Peck, Science Leader and marine biologist at British Antarctic Survey, joins over 90 exceptional researchers from across the world in being elected to the Fellowship of the Royal …
Read more on BAS scientist elected as Fellow of the Royal Society
16 May, 2024
The 2023/4 Antarctic field season has wound up and the last of the summer teams are aboard the RRS Sir David Attenborough and heading for home. This season not only …
Read more on British Antarctic Survey’s Antarctic field season wraps up
29 April, 2024
British Antarctic Survey, in partnership with the University of Cambridge, will be at the 2024 Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, showcasing how, using Antarctic ice cores to unlock the past, we …
Read more on Hold polar ice at Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition
25 April, 2024
Record low levels of Antarctic sea-ice in late 2023 resulted in breeding failures in a fifth of the continent’s emperor penguin colonies, according to a new study from British Antarctic …
Read more on Emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica suffer as sea-ice diminishes
19 April, 2024 Emma Pearce
Understanding what is going on inside an ice shelf is important for many reasons. But mostly, it allows us to better understand their contribution to sea level rise, and to …
Read more on BLOG: Looking into the world’s most studied ice shelf
16 April, 2024
Scientists have discovered a landscape of rocky hills and smooth plains beneath the remote Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica. A team of researchers used seismic imaging to map the area …
Read more on New insights into the bed beneath remote Antarctic glacier
16 April, 2024
Scientists are a step closer to being able to predict when large icebergs will calve in Antarctica. A team of glaciologists will present their new results at the European Geoscience …
Read more on Scientists one step closer to predicting iceberg calving
19 March, 2024
Scientists are invited to apply to conduct research on the British Antarctic Survey research vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough in May-June 2025. The research ship will undertake two trips between …
Read more on Opportunity to work on RRS Sir David Attenborough
6 March, 2024 Sarah Manthorpe
In this blog, science data manager Sarah Manthorpe describes her recent fieldwork survey of seabirds in the Southern Ocean. As I’m sitting here counting albatrosses from my desk, it feels …
Read more on Surveying seabirds on South Georgia to support conservation
5 March, 2024
Small bubbles of air from ice in Antarctica resolve a long-standing debate about why there was a decline in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) during the 16th and 17th centuries. The …
27 February, 2024
A new study, involving researchers from British Antarctic Survey, has found that significant thinning and retreat of the vast Thwaites Glacier began in the 1940s. Accelerating ice loss has been …
Read more on Significant glacial retreat in West Antarctica began in 1940s
23 February, 2024
The final field season of the ambitious, international effort to understand Antarctica’s giant Thwaites Glacier is complete. Teams of scientists and support staff with the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC) …
19 February, 2024
SOUTH GEORGIA. Update, February 2024 – Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) continues to affect the wildlife on the subantarctic islands of South Georgia. The latest results from samples taken from …
Read more on Avian flu now detected in albatrosses on South Georgia
14 February, 2024
Communities of microorganisms at the bottom of polar lakes evolved independently from other regions, influenced by the particular geological, biological and climate history of their regions. The unique character of …
Read more on DNA reveals unique microorganisms evolved at poles
12 February, 2024
Sea urchins exposed to diluted seawater for long periods show signs of physical deterioration, according to scientists from British Antarctic Survey, the University of Cambridge and the Scottish Association for …
30 January, 2024
The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) will build a new unique science facility at its UK Cambridge headquarters, enabling scientists to understand how organisms that live in cold polar environments evolved …
Read more on New science facility to unveil mysteries of animal life in Antarctica
29 January, 2024
A study published this month in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science reveals that disturbing the seabed, through activities such as trawling, could increase the scale and speed of climate …
Read more on Disturbing the seabed could make climate change worse
24 January, 2024
Scientists from British Antarctic Survey have discovered four previously unknown emperor penguin breeding sites. Changing sea ice conditions along Antarctica’s coastline have forced several emperor colonies to move in search …
Read more on Four new emperor penguin colonies found by satellite
23 January, 2024
A team of scientists are embarking on an ambitious 30-day scientific expedition on board RRS Sir David Attenborough to investigate how carbon dioxide moves and transforms in the Southern Ocean. …
Read more on New research mission on board polar ship set to unlock Southern Ocean’s carbon secrets
23 January, 2024
Scientists at British Antarctic Survey have found that the number of warm weather events in the South Orkney Islands have significantly increased in frequency over the last 75 years. Using …
Read more on Scientists chart the growing weather extremes on maritime Antarctic islands
20 January, 2024
Researchers from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have carried out aerial surveys of the remote volcanic Zavodovski Island in the sub-Antarctic to count the largest penguin colony in the world. …
Read more on Scientists count penguins on remote sub-Antarctic island
16 January, 2024
Scientists at British Antarctic Survey are using satellite images to track the colossal iceberg A23a. This new animation shows the recent trajectory of the A23a iceberg as it moves north …
Read more on New animation shows track of giant A23a iceberg
8 January, 2024
Halley Research Station, Antarctica – A team of scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is gearing up for an expedition to the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica to unravel …
Read more on Team embarks on mission to investigate iceberg calving
22 December, 2023
Scientists, including from British Antarctic Survey, have used octopus DNA to discover that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) likely collapsed during the Last Interglacial period around 120,000 years ago …
7 December, 2023
Thirty seven scientists and over 24 support staff are arriving in Antarctica to work on Thwaites Glacier. They are part of the ambitious international effort to understand the glacier and …
28 November, 2023
Scientists are warning that apparently stable glaciers in Antarctica can change rapidly and lose large quantities of ice as a result of warmer oceans. Using satellite data, a team discovered …
Read more on Scientists track rapid retreat of Antarctic glacier
20 November, 2023
A team of international researchers set sail on the RRS Sir David Attenborough today (20 November) to answer some of the big questions about how Antarctic ecosystems and sea ice …
18 October, 2023
More than 200 scientists, including several from British Antarctic Survey (BAS), from 19 countries have released the first comprehensive assessment of trends in Southern Ocean ecosystems, in a report written …
18 October, 2023
The shortlist has been announced for The Natural Environment Research Council’s (NERC) Impact Awards 2023. Four BAS projects have made the shortlist and commended list, ranging from biodiversity and ecology …
16 October, 2023
Antarctic fur seals that were hunted to near extinction have recovered but now face dangerous decline because of a lack of food, new research suggests. The study of fur seals, …
26 September, 2023
New measurements of how the boundary between onshore glacier and floating ice shelf glides back-and- forth could help predict melting The grounding line of the southern Ronne Ice Shelf in …
Read more on Antarctica’s glacial border moves for miles with the tide
25 September, 2023
British Antarctic Survey scientists are called up for their expertise this season, in a series of documentaries on radio and television. Secrets of our Universe with Tim Peake, Channel 5 …
Read more on British Antarctic Survey on Radio & TV this Autumn
4 September, 2023
Scientists studying Arctic warming have shared new evidence that sea salt aerosols from “blowing snow” play a significant role in forming clouds that reflect solar radiation back to the Earth’s …
Read more on Clouds formed with sea salt contribute to Arctic warming
30 August, 2023 Emily Newton
Dr Robbie Mallett is a sea ice scientist, currently over-wintering at Rothera Research Station in Antarctica as part of an eight-month research campaign for the NERC DEFIANT project. Robbie explains the …
Read more on Feeling the heat in Antarctica: the urgency of sea ice research
28 August, 2023
Climate change is affecting the vertical migration of zooplankton in the Arctic, with potential implications for the entire Arctic ecosystem, finds a new study, published today in Nature Climate Change. …
Read more on Retreating sea ice keeps zooplankton in the depths
24 August, 2023
Emperor penguin colonies experienced unprecedented breeding failure in a region of Antarctica where there was total sea ice loss in 2022. The discovery supports predictions that over 90% of emperor …
Read more on Loss of sea ice causes catastrophic breeding failure for emperor penguins
18 August, 2023
Today, hundreds of international scientists are sounding a clarion call for urgent expansion of Southern Ocean research in the emerging climate crisis. 300 scientists from 25 nations have been meeting …
11 August, 2023 Emily Rowlands
Where is all the ocean plastic? Eight million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean each year but only a small fraction of this (maybe even as low as 1%!) can …
Read more on A Southern Ocean plastic puzzle – where is all the ocean plastic?
17 July, 2023
In a significant milestone for Antarctic research, detailed and extensive information on ice thickness and bed topography is now available for the first time in a centralised and standardised format. …
10 July, 2023
How do you spot an invader you can’t see in a harsh and unforgiving environment? A team of international scientists are looking for new methods to defend the frozen continent …
Read more on DNA Detectives: New ways to spot Southern Ocean hitchhikers
4 July, 2023
Plastic pollution accumulating in international waters poses a serious risk to marine life, including a number of threatened bird species. A huge team of scientists studied the global movements of …
Read more on Threatened sea birds visit plastic pollution hot spots
30 June, 2023
An international team of researchers has sequenced the genomes of 24 Antarctic fish species to investigate how they survive the extreme cold. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, …
27 June, 2023
Researchers have discovered a flesh-eating fish is in major decline – by looking at the stomach content of some of the world’s largest bird, albatrosses. The Patagonian Lamprey, Geotria macrostoma, …
Read more on Bird diet sampling helps uncover the lives of living fossils
19 June, 2023
The British Antarctic Survey (BAS), launches its new ten-year science strategy today (19 June) that addresses urgent scientific challenges facing our world, namely in the continents of the Arctic and …
Read more on Polar Science for a Sustainable Planet: new science strategy
12 June, 2023
Antarctic Bottom Water is the coldest, densest water mass on the planet and plays a pivotal role in regulating the ocean’s ability to store heat and capture carbon. In a …
Read more on Deep ocean waters in Antarctica are shrinking and warming
1 June, 2023
Concern is rising about tipping points in the Antarctic region. Recent heatwaves, changes in the Southern Ocean, and a reduction in the extent of Antarctic sea ice suggest that we …
31 May, 2023
The ground beneath Antarctica’s most vulnerable glacier has been mapped for the first time, helping scientists to better understand how it is being affected by climate change. Analysis of the …
Read more on Ground beneath Thwaites Glacier mapped for first time
30 May, 2023
The West Antarctic Ice Sheet is shrinking, with many glaciers across the region retreating and melting at an alarming rate. However, this was not always the case according to new …
Read more on Rocks beneath Antarctic Ice Sheet reveal surprising past
22 May, 2023
Natural Environment Research Council’s pioneering Pushing the Frontiers scheme has funded four projects led by scientists from British Antarctic Survey (BAS). The projects, which received grants totaling £3.8m, are part …
Read more on BAS science funded by Pushing the Frontiers scheme
19 May, 2023
GeoMAP Antarctica, an open-access and comprehensive geological mapping database of Antarctica, was released today in Nature Scientific Data. Understanding Antarctica’s geosphere is, and has been, critical for understanding the continent’s …
Read more on New map unlocks deep digital data of Antarctica’s history
15 May, 2023
Shelled pteropods, commonly known as sea butterflies, are increasingly exposed to ocean changes, but some species are more vulnerable to this threat. In a new study, published this month (11 …
Read more on Sea butterfly life cycle threatened by climate change
11 May, 2023
The 2022/23 Antarctic field season has ended, marking the conclusion of another successful year of scientific exploration in one of the world’s most remote and challenging environments. This field season, …
Read more on British Antarctic Survey completes Antarctic field season
9 May, 2023
A tiny flightless midge which has colonised Antarctica’s Signy Island is driving fundamental changes to the island’s soil ecosystem. Research by experts at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in collaboration …
8 May, 2023
A series of studies on the Southern Ocean, which encircles Antarctica, reveal how it is changing. A special issue of the Journal Proceedings of the Royal Society, led by the …
25 April, 2023 Michael Dunn
No, it’s not a Penguin joke! This World Penguin Day (25 April 2023) we spoke to some of our resident experts, Mike Dunn and Peter Fretwell, to find out more …
29 March, 2023
A new study led by researchers at British Antarctic Survey (BAS) discovered microplastics in krill (Euphausia superba), a small shrimp-like crustacean, and salps (Salpa thompsoni), a gelatinous marine invertebrate. The …
Read more on Microplastic found in Antarctic krill and salps
21 March, 2023
A new study highlights how extreme snowfall events significantly alter the amount of ice lost by the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. A team of scientists from British Antarctic Survey, along …
Read more on Extreme snowfall in West Antarctica driving sea-level rise
21 March, 2023 Huw Griffiths
We are marine biologists that study seafloor creatures, Jamie is doing a PhD investigating Antarctic sea spiders in the University of Galway and Huw works at BAS. Both of us …
Read more on Breaking records and exploring life in the abyss
13 March, 2023
ANTARCTICA – 13 March 2023. British Antarctic Survey (BAS) has released the first aerial pictures of the massive A81 iceberg that calved from the Brunt Ice Shelf in late January. …
Read more on First images of giant iceberg from Brunt Ice Shelf
28 February, 2023
Global challenges due to COVID-19 have impacted research, fieldwork, facilities and infrastructure in the polar regions, resulting in an accumulation of funded projects to be supported. NERC is committed to …
22 February, 2023 Emily Newton
Last week, the team aboard the RRS Sir David Attenborough produced the first significant scientific data set with the ship’s oceanography equipment – a significant milestone in the life of …
Read more on Science Trials on the RRS Sir David Attenborough add to historic dataset
15 February, 2023
The rapid retreat of Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica appears to be driven by different processes under its floating ice shelf than researchers previously understood. Novel observations from where the …
Read more on New close-up view of melting beneath Thwaites Glacier
14 February, 2023 Huw Griffiths
The RRS Sir David Attenborough has begun its polar science trials in Antarctica. A team of 30 national and international scientists, engineers and technical staff are working on the ship …
Read more on First science: aboard the RRS Sir David Attenborough Science Trials
7 February, 2023
Scientists in East Antarctica drilling to find the Earth’s oldest ice have reached a key milestone after two months of fieldwork in sub-zero temperatures. The team is part of Beyond …
Read more on Oldest ice drilling campaign reaches key milestone
3 February, 2023
A team of scientists are currently conducting a major experiment over the Southern Ocean that will help to improve climate modelling. The Southern Ocean Clouds project team are performing several …
Read more on Flying campaign to improve climate modelling begins
2 February, 2023
Researchers at British Antarctic Survey (BAS) will develop new and ambitious ideas to tackle critical global environmental challenges, such as global sea-level rise from Antarctica, thanks to new funding. The …
Read more on New funding to predict future sea-level rise in Antarctica
31 January, 2023
The UK’s new polar ship RRS Sir David Attenborough begins its polar science trials in Antarctica this week. A team of 30 national and international scientists, engineers and technical staff …
Read more on RRS Sir David Attenborough begins polar science trials
20 January, 2023
Scientists have discovered a new emperor penguin colony in Antarctica using satellite mapping technology. This new colony makes a total of 62 known emperor penguin colonies around the coastline of …
19 January, 2023
A project studying the at-sea distributions of white-chinned petrels from South Georgia is now running for a second season – and early data suggest there are important differences in foraging …
Read more on Vulnerable seabirds tracking reveals foraging patterns
16 January, 2023
This week (17 January) British Antarctic Survey and WWF are inviting the public to become ‘walrus detectives’ and get involved in the Walrus from Space project to help with vital …
Read more on ‘Walrus detectives’ sought for conservation science
20 December, 2022
An ambitious flying campaign out of British Antarctic Survey’s Rothera Research Station over the Weddell Sea this month (December) aims to calibrate the data collected from two important satellites that …
Read more on Flying campaign to future-proof sea ice measurements
13 December, 2022
Nearly 60 scientists and support staff are on their way to Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica. It’s part of an ambitious international effort to understand the glacier and surrounding ocean …