Interactions of ocean and atmosphere
Category: Science
Biological sampling gear
Discovering ocean life
Scientific winches
Deploying scientific equipment into the ocean
Labs and workshops
Innovative solutions to meet the changing needs of science
Geology and geophysical facilities
Exploring the seafloor
Marine robotics capability
Exploring the ocean
Scientific moon pool
Subsea exploration
SCIENCE BLOG:Penguin or sea lemon?
28 July, 2016 Melody Clark
Dr Melody Clark gets excited about sea snails as part of an innovative research programme to investigate how Antarctica’s animals will adapt to life in a warmer world. Penguins or …
Albatrosses use different regions when on migration
25 July, 2016
A new study of the movements of sub-Antarctic albatrosses tracked from two remote islands some 5,000 km apart, shows that although the birds from each breeding site take similar routes around the Southern Ocean, they forage in different areas for the majority of the time. The results are published this month in the Nature journal Scientific Reports.
Read more on Albatrosses use different regions when on migration
RRS Sir David Attenborough
The RRS Sir David Attenborough, commissioned by NERC, built by Cammell Laird for operation by British Antarctic Survey, is one of the most advanced polar research vessels in the world.
Shellfish study published this month
27 June, 2016
New technologies and techniques used in a scientific study of the shells of oysters, mussels, clams and scallops reveal clues about how these commercially valuable species may fare in a changing world, and how discarded shells from the aquaculture industry could benefit the environment.
FEATURED PAPER: Energetic Electron Hazard
13 June, 2016
Energetic electrons are an important space weather hazard. In this paper we apply extreme value analysis to 16 years of operational satellite data from the NOAA Polar Operational Environmental Satellites …
FEATURED PAPER: Battling bryozoans
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 …
Instrument: Phase-sensitive radar (ApRES)
Research teams use phase-sensitive radars for determining ice shelf basal melt rates. Data is used to enhance climate models. The ApRES instruments yield time series of ice shelf thickness change …
Antarctic fossils show creatures wiped out by asteroid
26 May, 2016
A study of more than 6,000 marine fossils from the Antarctic shows that the mass extinction event that killed the dinosaurs was sudden and just as deadly to life in the polar regions.
Read more on Antarctic fossils show creatures wiped out by asteroid
FEATURED PAPER: Improved modelling of ice-ocean processes
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
On the ice opportunity for PhD students and Early Career Researchers
7 April, 2016
16 PhD students and Early Career Researchers have a unique opportunity to gain practical skills for working safely and effectively in the polar regions.
Read more on On the ice opportunity for PhD students and Early Career Researchers
SHIP BLOG: Heading for home
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 …
NEWS STORY: Oxygen depletion in the upper waters of the Southern Ocean during glacial periods
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 …
SHIP BLOG: Rhythm of the night
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 …
SHIP BLOG: Science Week questions answered from the Southern Ocean
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
FEATURED PAPER: Circulation changes off West Antarctica
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
Life on the sub Antarctic island of South Georgia
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
NEWS STORY: Lake drainage affected climate
17 February, 2016
The catastrophic release of fresh water from a vast South American lake at the end of the last Ice Age was significant enough to change circulation in the Pacific Ocean …
ANTARCTIC BLOG: preparation is everything
15 February, 2016 Huw Griffiths
As the days count down towards departure the dreams about forgetting my passport at the airport become more frequent. My office in Cambridge is a long way from the Antarctic …
ANTARCTIC BLOG: Extreme Geology #11
12 February, 2016 Joanne Johnson
After our extended period of lie-up, I now have the slightly surreal pleasure of sitting at Rothera writing this, contemplating flying home tomorrow. We flew back from the field on …
ANTARCTIC BLOG: meet Ali – Rothera’s lab manager
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
ANTARCTIC BLOG: Extreme Geology #9
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 …
ANTARCTIC BLOG: Extreme Geology #8
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 …
ANTARCTIC BLOG: Extreme Geology #7
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 …
FEATURED PAPER: Polar Vortex teleconnection
26 January, 2016
This paper provides new evidence and proposes a new dynamical mechanism for the teleconnection between the two largest jet streams in the northern winter stratosphere – the tropical wind system …
NEWS STORY: New gravity dataset
23 January, 2016
Scientists now have a new tool to investigate the deep structure of the least understood continent on Earth
ANTARCTIC BLOG: Extreme Geology #6
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 …
ANTARCTIC BLOG: Science from the air #2
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 …
ANTARCTIC BLOG: Extreme Geology #5
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 …
PRESS RELEASE: Antarctic seabird in decline
21 December, 2015
New research shows decline in population and breeding success of Antarctic seabird A fifty year study of the charismatic seabird, the southern giant petrel, on the Antarctic island of Signy …
FEATURED PAPER: Recent snowfall increase
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 …
ANTARCTIC BLOG: Extreme Geology #4
12 December, 2015 Joanne Johnson
Geologist Jo Johnson waits patiently to go deep-field
ANTARCTIC BLOG: Extreme Geology #3
19 November, 2015 Joanne Johnson
Being a parent working in Antarctica
FEATURED PAPER: Improving climate predictions
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 …
ANTARCTIC BLOG: Extreme Geology #2
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 …
Airborne science and technology
Discover the UK’s national capability to support science from the air
PRESS RELEASE: West Antarctica snow accumulation
4 November, 2015
West Antarctic coastal snow accumulation rose 30 percent during 20th century Annual snow accumulation on West Antarctica’s coastal ice sheet increased dramatically during the 20th century, according to a new …
Read more on PRESS RELEASE: West Antarctica snow accumulation
ANTARCTIC BLOG: Busy month for leopard seal sightings!
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!
FEATURED PAPER: Improving air quality models
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 …
ANTARCTIC BLOG: Extreme Geology #1
7 October, 2015 Joanne Johnson
Science team goes deep field to Marie Byrd Land
NEWS STORY: New Centre for Doctoral Training
6 October, 2015
NERC funds PhD training in robotics and autonomous systems
NEWS STORY: Ocean life triggers ice formation in clouds
9 September, 2015
Researchers from the Arctic Research Programme, managed at British Antarctic Survey (BAS), have shown for the first time that phytoplankton (plant life) in remote ocean regions can contribute to rare …
Read more on NEWS STORY: Ocean life triggers ice formation in clouds
NEWS STORY: Explaining sea lion decline
4 September, 2015
The southern sea lion population of the Falkland Islands witnessed a dramatic decline during the last century with numbers falling by 95 per cent between the 1930s and 1960s. It …
ARCTIC BLOG: Hot water drilling on Petermann Glacier
24 August, 2015 Keith Nicholls
Standing anywhere on Petermann ice shelf, the overriding sense you get is the proximity of water. A lot of water. Standing water, ranging from small ponds, up to lakes hundreds …
Read more on ARCTIC BLOG: Hot water drilling on Petermann Glacier
ARCTIC BLOG: It’s not all plain sailing at the top of the World
21 August, 2015 Kelly Hogan
A scientist’s view from Petermann Fjord, NW Greenland Three-and-a-bit days is what it takes to get from London to Thule air base in northwest Greenland. A quick flight to Copenhagen …
Read more on ARCTIC BLOG: It’s not all plain sailing at the top of the World
NEWS STORY: Bird tracking aids seabird research
18 August, 2015
Bird tracking technology reveals future climate may affect seabird feeding behaviour A two year study of shags on the Isle of May National Nature Reserve in Scotland reveals that when …
Read more on NEWS STORY: Bird tracking aids seabird research
FEATURED PAPER: Glacier response to ice shelf collapse
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
Understanding Earth’s response to a future high CO2 world
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 …
Patterns and mechanisms of late glacial and Holocene climate change
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 …
Aerogravity system
BAS has developed an aerogravity system that can be mounted in one of its aircraft. The system has been used to collect over 100,000 km of data since it was …
Polarimetric Radar
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 …
NEWS STORY: NERC placement offered
6 May, 2015
NERC Research Experience Placement 2015 A Research Experience Placement supported by EnvEast DTP and funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) is available at British Antarctic Survey (BAS) this …
Airborne Meteorology
Airborne instrument capability
Space Weather and Atmosphere team
Exploring the unknown, predicting the future
Geology and Geophysics team
Exploring the unknown
Ice Dynamics and Palaeoclimate team
Unlocking the past, predicting the future
Ecosystems team
Understanding the present, predicting the future
Palaeo Environments, Ice Sheets and Climate Change team
Understanding past change in ice sheets, oceans and global climate
Atmosphere, Ice and Climate team
Predicting the future
Biodiversity, Evolution and Adaptation team
Understanding the present
Communications team
Communicating excellence with impact
Bonner Laboratory and dive facility
Supporting near-shore marine biology
BAS Cambridge
Science, business and operational planning
Bird Island Research Station
Bird Island Research Station is an important centre for research into bird and seal biology. Lying off the north-west tip of South Georgia, Bird Island is one of the richest …
PRESS RELEASE: Fur seal genetics and climate change
23 July, 2014
Genetic study shows major impact of climate change on Antarctic fur seals Genetic analysis of Antarctic fur seals, alongside decades of in-depth monitoring,* has provided unique insights into the effect …
Read more on PRESS RELEASE: Fur seal genetics and climate change
NEWS STORY: IPCC climate report published today
27 September, 2013
The Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is published today. The report entitled Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis, presents a synthesis of …
Read more on NEWS STORY: IPCC climate report published today
NEWS STORY: Understanding food webs
13 September, 2013
Research on the dynamics of food webs The dynamics of food webs, networks of who-eats-whom interactions, are being highlighted in the August report of International Innovation, an open access European …
NEWS STORY: Evaluation shows BAS in good light
5 August, 2013
Independent evaluation of British Antarctic Survey research excellence The outcome of an independent evaluation of the research excellence within NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) Research Centres is published today. The …
NEWS STORY: BAS ranked highly by Nature
21 June, 2013
BAS rated highly in research institution rankings NERC’s British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and National Oceanography Centre (NOC) both feature among the world’s top 100 Earth and environmental science institutions, according …
NEWS STORY: Storm events link identified
17 April, 2013
Jet stream influences extreme storms A new study of Europe’s extreme storm events reveals that they often occur near the jet stream – the fast flowing air currents that flow …
NEWS STORY: BAS on the BBC
17 July, 2012
Scientists take part in BBC expedition “Operation Iceberg” This summer two British Antarctic Survey (BAS) scientists head to the Arctic to take part in the BBC expedition ‘Operation Iceberg’. Oceanographers …
PRESS RELEASE: Increase in CO2 emissions
26 September, 2008
CO2 emissions are booming Scientists will this week (Friday 26 Sept) announce the annual update on the global carbon figures. They report that CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels and …