29 May, 2025
Artificial intelligence sea ice forecasting systems could help predict and protect the migration routes of endangered caribou in the Canadian Arctic, according to a new study. The research, led by …
Read more on New AI tool aids caribou conservation in a changing Arctic
2 May, 2024
This week (Thursday 2 May), British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is inviting the public to become ‘penguin detectives’ and spend five minutes counting emperor penguins to help with vital research into …
Read more on ‘Penguin detectives’ required for new counting app
15 November, 2023 Pilvi Saarikoski
Polar research often conjures images of scientists operating in remote, arduous conditions at the ends of the world reminiscent of the likes of Scott, Shackleton and Amundsen during the ‘Heroic Age’ of polar exploration at the turn of the 20th century. However, 21st century polar research is so much more than this.
Read more on Guest blog: Why Pride matters for doing better polar research
14 July, 2023
The UK Poet Laureate Simon Armitage CBE has travelled to the UK Arctic Research Station, where he will create new works inspired by the visit. While hosted at the UK …
Read more on Poet Laureate visits UK Arctic Research Station
4 May, 2022
The director of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), Professor Dame Jane Francis has been awarded the prestigious Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers (IBG) Patron’s Medal for contributions to earth and environmental sciences.
5 October, 2021 Huw Griffiths
Black History Month recognises and celebrates the achievements of people with African or Caribbean heritage and takes place every October (in the UK). It marks the contributions of Black people …
Read more on Reflections on Black History Month and lessons for the Polar Research community
4 October, 2021 Amanda Wynne
The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was agreed in 1991 and came into force in 1998, once it had been ratified by all 26 (currently 28) Antarctic …
29 June, 2021
Immersive science-art ice core research exhibition to be displayed at Glasgow Science Centre during COP26
Read more on Polar Zero: visual arts take centre stage at COP26
8 March, 2021
On International Women’s Day (8 March 2021), we mark and celebrate women working at British Antarctic Survey (BAS). We showcase the diversity of roles and specialities of those working in …
5 March, 2021
This week over 100 early career researchers and students from underrepresented groups, particularly BAME, LGBTQ+ and the Disabled, took part in Polar Horizons 2021. The Polar Horizons Initiative, funded by …
Read more on Underrepresented groups welcomed to polar science
15 October, 2020 Sharon Grant
To celebrate Black History Month Sharon Grant describes her time working for British Antarctic Suirvey in this guest blog.
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 …
5 July, 2019 Huw Griffiths
BLOG. Biologist Huw Griffiths shares his personal experience of research as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Read more on Carrying the PRIDE message to the ends of the earth
5 February, 2015
Long serving BAS manager awarded second honour Mike Pinnock, one of the British Antarctic Survey’s longest serving managers, has been awarded a Second Clasp by HM The Queen. The Second …
15 August, 2013 BAS Bloggers
This is the final update from the James Clark Ross from the JR288 Arctic cruise. The science is now almost complete and the ship is on passage to Dundee, from …
30 July, 2013 BAS Bloggers
Monday proved to be an interesting day for us all on the JCR. Just after mid-day a BAS Twin Otter aircraft did a fly past, having taken off from Longyearbyen …
30 July, 2013 BAS Bloggers
Another busy day of sampling on board the James Clark Ross. Noon Position Report for Sunday 28th July 2013 Latitude: 78° 53.1 N Longitude: 007° 07.5 W Bearing: 278 °T, …
28 July, 2013 BAS Bloggers
The highlight of the day for Friday was the sighting of a mother polar bear with two cubs on an ice-floe. Alas weather conditions were poor for good photography but …
27 July, 2013 BAS Bloggers
Most of Friday was spent amongst pack ice, which at times made deployment of equipment interesting. The weather continues to be good, with light winds and clear skies. As the …
26 July, 2013 BAS Bloggers
The JCR spent much of the day in sight of Greenland, with a heat haze seen across the pack ice. Not a great deal of wildlife in the past twenty …
25 July, 2013 BAS Bloggers
The science work being carried out on board the RRS James Clark Ross is very varied, with underway air sampling, CTD (Conductivity, Temperature and Depth), which includes collecting samples from …
24 July, 2013 BAS Bloggers
Another day of thick fog in the morning and then clearing during the afternoon. The ship was only a few miles off the coast of Greenland and it was lovely …
22 July, 2013 BAS Bloggers
The James Clark Ross is currently engaged on a month long science cruise, designated JR288, to the Arctic. Initially the ship is working to the east of Greenland, slowly heading …
14 January, 2013 BAS Bloggers
Today did not start well and I was not sure that I would have much to write about this evening. I did consider taking pictures of banoffee pie as the …
14 January, 2013 BAS Bloggers
The RRS James Clark Ross is currently on science cruise JR274, Ocean Acidification, and will be spending the next few weeks sampling rather a lot of water. The above image …
21 May, 2012 BAS Bloggers
THe RRS Ernest Shackleton departed Stanley on the 29th April heading north for the UK, after a very busy and successful Antarctic season. The trip north was pretty uneventful and …
11 April, 2012 BAS Bloggers
The JCR left the Falkland Islands at the end of March for the final Antarctic science cruise of the season, this time with oceanographers and geologists.
11 April, 2012 BAS Bloggers
Jen Jackson, BAS This week we bios have all been busy wrapping up our science work for this cruise: Adam (link: meet a scientist) is finally completing his bivalve experiments …
Read more on Week 5: wrapping up and travelling home – March 21st, 2012
23 March, 2012 BAS Bloggers
Douglas Hamilton, University of East Anglia Water chemistry is employed during cruises to look for various things of interest to Oceanographers like temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and chlorophyll. Temperature and …
19 March, 2012 BAS Bloggers
Melanie Mackenzie – Museum Victoria Now that we’ve finished collecting specimens, the EVOLHIST biology team on board the James Clark Ross is busily working away in the ship’s labs. Dr …
6 March, 2012 BAS Bloggers
Rachel Downey (British Antarctic Survey) We have been working in some amazingly calm waters for the last two weeks, and are now breaking through the sea ice again as we …
27 February, 2012 BAS Bloggers
Adam has joined us from Southampton University where he studies the reproduction and morphology of bivalve molluscs in the Southern Ocean. Like their clam and mussel relatives, Adam’s tiny Antarctic …
27 February, 2012 BAS Bloggers
Jen Jackson (British Antarctic Survey) Hello from the eastern Weddell Sea! On Sunday 19th February we reached the most southerly point of our expedition. At 77.36 degrees south we had …
Read more on Week 3: Biological surveys in the eastern Weddell Sea
2 January, 2012 BAS Bloggers
We are back down south again in the Weddell Sea once again involved in the annual Halley relief operation. We departed Immingham in the UK in early November and had …
3 August, 2011 BAS Bloggers
The Shackleton has been through quite a lot since you last heard from us down south. We departed Stanley in April and headed North for warmer climes. We had an …
9 June, 2011 BAS Bloggers
The James Clark Ross entered Portsmouth Naval Base on Wednesday 1st June to start the annual refit period. The James Clark Ross entered Portsmouth Naval Base on Wednesday 1st June …
17 February, 2011 BAS Bloggers
After a rather long leave of absence the “Shackleton Blog” is once again back in action. With a crew change completed on the 29th January in Stanley, behind us, we …
15 February, 2011 BAS Bloggers
For the past few days we have been steaming through the Weddell Sea, stopping every now and then to do more science. Yesterday was a day of coring using the …
11 February, 2011 BAS Bloggers
RRS James Clark Ross Cruise JR244 to the southern Weddell Sea British Antarctic Survey scientists on this cruise are carrying out marine geological and geophysical studies to determine the long-term …
Read more on RRS James Clark Ross Cruise JR244 to the southern Weddell Sea
10 July, 2010 BAS Bloggers
The RRS Ernest Shackleton has been through quite a bit since you heard from us. The trip north from the Falklands and arrival in Grimsby, a crew change and Dynmaic …
3 May, 2010 Adam Bradley
Radio Officer Patrick and the Crew got off the Mighty Ernest Shackleton in Stanley, Falkland Islands in Mid-March. Pat told me he was doing a monthly blog and would I …
28 February, 2010 BAS Bloggers
Well the Science section of our cruise duly came to an end and we made or way out of the Weddell sea pack ice towards Creek IV at Halley. The …
15 February, 2010 BAS Bloggers
Our Science program kicked into gear quite smoothly and we have had a very high success rate with our buoy retrieval efforts so far. Our first task was to …
7 February, 2010 BAS Bloggers
Well Cape Town has come and gone and we are we are entering the pack ice once again after a rather rough trip down. Our trip North was largely uneventful …
11 January, 2010 BAS Bloggers
New Years Greetings to you all. After a difficult final passage through compacted pack ice we finally broke through into open water and made our way down the coastline towards …
31 December, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Capt Marshall’s team joined the ship in Immingham, in late November, which was a surprise to us all as we had been due to join in Cape Town. We departed …
28 July, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Greetings from the North Sea, the Shackleton has had a busy time of it since you last heard from us. After The Norwegian job and demob in Kristiansund the ship headed …
3 June, 2009 BAS Bloggers
On her latest charter the RRS Ernest Shackleton has been involved in Environmental Monitoring for Statoilhydro in the Norwegian Sea. Since the 1980’s, Norwegian legislation has enforced Environmental Monitoring around …
3 June, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Greetings once again, well here we are, floating about in the North Sea on contract and earning our keep. After a fairly hectic stay in Immingham with repairs and new …
12 May, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Greetings once again, it has been quite a while since we you heard from us. Much water has passed under the hull since then and we are currently heading for …
26 April, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Capt. John Mashall’s team duly arrived in Stanley and joined the ship on the Tuesday the 10th March. We spent three days in Stanley which was a good opportunity to …
25 March, 2009 BAS Bloggers
jr200 Autumn Science Cruise in the Scotia Sea The current series of Ecosystem Science cruises have run since 2006. The series is examining latitudinal changes in the biology of the …
19 February, 2009 BAS Bloggers
TEMPERATURES DROP IN ANTARCTICA Since I have working for the Antarctic Survey, I have been telling people back home that it is NOT so cold down here in Summer. You …
13 February, 2009 Michael Gloistein
The RRS James Clark Ross made a brief visit to Grytviken and King Edward Point on Thursday morning. Members of the science team managed to get ashore and enjoy the …
12 February, 2009 BAS Bloggers
SO WHERE ARE WE PRESENTLY ? Presently, the RRS Ernest Shackleton is in the Weddell Sea of Antarctica. And what are we doing here ? Science… The Shackleton is primarily …
31 January, 2009 BAS Bloggers
When it’s an aquarium ! One of the many jobs undertaken onboard the Shackleton is a continual battle against the elements to ensure the ship remains in tip-top condition. From …
31 January, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Following the demise of the Shackleton Diaries, we introduce the new Shackleton Blog Site. No particular times for updates, just a continuous appearance of anything of interest – we hope. …
29 January, 2009 Michael Gloistein
The ship has now recovered SHRIMP and is conducting a swath bathymetry survey, mapping the seabed. Whilst all of the exciting science work is being carried out, routine work and …
28 January, 2009 Michael Gloistein
The science cruise continues with some good results being obtained. On Tuesday 27th January ‘SHRIMP’ was deployed for the first time. SHRIMP is a camera system that is towed very …
23 January, 2009 Michael Gloistein
Friday 23rd January 2009 sees the JCR enjoying some rough seas.
21 January, 2009 Michael Gloistein
The RRS James Clark Ross is currently on cruise JR224 and will be working in the vicinity of the South Sandwich Islands.