British Antarctic Survey

Join us for an 'Antarctic Adventure' - A family talk by a polar scientist at Cambridge Festival 2025
2025-03-29 13:30 - 14:30 (Europe/London) | Cockcroft Lecture Theatre, (through the Pembroke Archway), Pembroke St, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 3QY, United Kingdom
Come along to ‘Antarctic Adventure – Explore the Frozen Frontier’ – a talk aimed at anyone over 7 years old by British Antarctic Survey polar scientist Kate Hendry and marine biologist Dr Helen Scales.
Dive into an amazing Antarctic adventure to one of the most remote and challenging environments on Earth. Kate and Helen will show you how science is done around the icy continent of Antarctica. You’ll get the chance to discover incredible wildlife, help build an Antarctic food web, study giant sea spiders, listen to singing seals and find out why Antarctica is so important for the rest of the planet.

This talk is free to attend and aimed at ages 7 + – We look forward to seeing you there!

This talk is part of Cambridge Festival 2025 which takes place from 19 March to 4 April. The festival will run a series of events highlighting world-leading research happening at Cambridge. For a full round of events please visit the Cambridge Festival website.

Workshop on Polar Winter Climate and Processes
2025-04-23 11:00 - 2025-04-25 13:00 | British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0ET, United Kingdom
Polar Winter Climate and Processes: Towards Filling Knowledge Gaps in the Understanding of the Coupled Climate System

Download the Workshop Programme PDF
Accommodations PDF

Polar winter plays a critical role in various processes, including sea ice growth, snow accumulation, surface energy balance, atmospheric dynamics and chemistry. Current climate models struggle to accurately represent polar weather and climate, especially during winter. These significant discrepancies hinder the reliability of these models in predicting and projecting future conditions in the Arctic and Antarctica.

While previous studies have predominantly focused on summer, it is crucial to explore winter conditions to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the entire climate system. To address this need, we organize a workshop titled “Polar Winter Climate and Processes.” This workshop aims to bring together diverse research communities to examine the physical and chemical processes in the interconnected atmosphere, cryosphere, marine, and terrestrial systems. Our goal is to facilitate the exchange of ideas, present recent findings, and identify knowledge gaps in our understanding of the overall climate system.
We invite contributions from all relevant disciplines and areas, including observation (in stiu and remote sensing), modeling, and theoretical research.

Themes to focus:
Theme 1: Polar winter storms and climate impacts, linking to

Extreme event

Blowing snow

Warm air intrusion

Cold air outbreak

Sea ice evolution (open leads, polynyas, melt)

Air-sea-ice interaction

Surface mass balance for icesheet/iceshelf

Surface energy budget

Permafrost deepening

Atmospheric boundary layer processes

Theme 2: Polar winter aerosol, clouds and chemistry

CCN, INPs and sources

Aerosol budget and composition

Cloud-aerosol interaction

Arctic Haze

Snow chemistry and climate impacts

Biogeochemistry

Theme 3: Polar-mid-latitude and polar-lower-latitude teleconnections, involving e.g.

Atmospheric river

Polar vortex

Jet stream

Storm track

Atmospheric blocking

Rossby wave

Theme 4: Knowledge gaps to fill

New theory or mechanism and parameterisations

New technology observation (from buoys, stations, ships, aircraft and satellites) active or automatic – via new international research programs, e.g. IPY, InSync, etc

New modelling approaches

Keynote speakers:

Ola Persson (CIRES/NOAA, USA) on storm/sea ice

Martin Radenz (TROPOS, Germany) on aerosol/cloud remote sensing

Irina Gorodetskaya (CIIMAR, Portugal) on atmospheric river and Winter YOPP SH project

Tom Bracegirdle (BAS, UK) on extremes and EXANT project

When: 23-25 April 2025
Format: Hybrid
Where: British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK
Cost: free of registration – (Early Career Researchers can apply for travel fellowship)
Please register via using this link – Note that registration closes on [March 14 2025]
Please submit your abstract using this link – Note that abstract submission closes on [March 14 2025]

Organising Committee:

Xin Yang (Chair), BAS, UK
Xiangdong Zhang (co-Chair), NCSU, USA
Alexandra Weiss, BAS, UK
Markus Frey, BAS, UK
Sergi González-Herrero, WSL Institute, Switzerland
Xianda Gong, Westlake Uni., China
Rainette Engbers, WSL Institute, Switzerland
Romy Hall, BAS, UK

What: This workshop is co-funded by the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) and Surface Fluxes in Antarctica (SURFEIT), a NERC National Capability International research programme.
If you have any questions, please get in touch – Xin Yang – xinyang55@bas.ac.uk

New exhibition explores the intersection of art and Antarctic science
2025-09-12 09:00 - 2026-06-27 16:00 | Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, CB2 1EP, GB
From Friday 12 September 2025, step into a world where Antarctic science and art meet at the Scott Polar Research Institute’s new art exhibition – Through Ice & Fire. This is a striking collaboration between contemporary artist Rowan Huntley and polar geologist Dr Joanne Johnson from the British Antarctic Survey.
This unique event is free to attend and will be open every Tuesday to Saturday, 10.00am to 4.00pm until 27 June. The exhibition blends offers visitors a fresh and thought-provoking perspective on the icy continent and how it is being affected by the climate crisis.
A piece of artwork produced by Rowan Huntley, featured in the exhibition | credit: Rowan Huntley
For more information head to the exhibition webpage.
How to find the exhibition

Protecting Our Planet Day 2025: Livestream event for schools
2025-11-27 11:30 - 12:30
Have you got your ticket to Antarctica? Sign up and receive weekly interactive email updates packed with stories and activities following our journey around Antarctica on a Twin Otter plane. As part of this adventure, join Protecting Our Planet Day (POP25), as we livestream from Halley VI Research Station and the RRS Sir David Attenborough tailored for secondary schools on November 27.

Your class will get to hear from experts at both locations to find out about how they live and work on the icy continent. Discover the science happening there which is helping us understand how the climate is changing and how that effects the whole of planet Earth. British Antarctic Survey will be taking part in the ‘Protecting Our Ice’ session, scheduled from 11.30am to 12.10pm.
Join POP25 ‘Protecting our ice’ session to hear from experts on board the RRS Sir David Attenborough
The full-day program features live link-up sessions with inspiring experts dedicated to addressing climate change and is brought to you by STEM Learning in collaboration with the European Space Agency and the UK Space Agency.
Halley VI Research Station
For more details and to register for these sessions, visit the POP25 website. Choose to sign up for the entire day or simply drop in for the sessions with your class or the whole school!

Open Day for schools: Ice Explorers - Icebergs, penguins and brrrilliant science!
2026-03-20 10:00 - 14:00 | British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0ET, United Kingdom
Teachers, bring your students along to ‘Ice Explorers’ – an educational open day for schools at the headquarters of the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge. Our open day is part of the Cambridge Festival line up.
Step into our icy world and find out how scientists, engineers and innovators are uncovering the secrets of our frozen poles. From the bottom of the oceans to the edge of space, our research helps guard the future of our planet.
Explore. Discover. Experience.
Ice Explorers invites school students on an interactive journey into the polar regions – where the ice tells stories of Earth’s past and present, and holds the clues to its future. Through hands-on experiments, live demonstrations and fascinating exhibits, you’ll see how researchers study ice, wildlife and climate change in some of the planet’s most extreme places.

Meet polar scientists and engineers who are studying Earth’s most extreme environments.
Step inside a polar field tent and see what it’s really like to live and work in freezing conditions.
Try on real polar clothing to learn what it takes to survive in the icy wilderness.
Hop aboard a snowmobile and snap a photo with our friendly penguins!
Hear stories from Antarctica – from battling blizzards to studying the ice, oceans and wildlife that hold clues to our changing planet(Credit: Peter Fretwell)

The polar regions matter
Why are Antarctica and the Arctic vital for understanding climate change? What questions are scientists trying to answer, and how does what’s happening there affect the rest of the world?
Our research shows that the polar regions play a huge part in the Earth’s climate – by reflecting sunlight, storing frozen water and driving ocean currents. Understanding how these cold places are changing means we can better protect our planet’s future.
This ice-cool experience is open to schools!
Bring your class, uncover the science and take your first steps into the exciting world of polar research.
Tickets will be released in February 2026 and the event will be free to attend.
Suitable for year 3 and above.
Morning and afternoon sessions will be available.
This is an event for schools. If you are not a school and would like to visit British Antarctic Survey, we are having a family friendly open day too.
How to find us
Visit us in Cambridge.

Open Day: Ice Explorers – Icebergs, penguins and brrrilliant science!
2026-03-21 10:00 - 16:00 | British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0ET, United Kingdom
Join us for Ice Explorers – a fun, family-friendly open day at the headquarters of the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge. Our open day is part of the Cambridge Festival line up.
Step into our icy world and find out how scientists, engineers and innovators are uncovering the secrets of our frozen poles. From the bottom of the oceans to the edge of space, our research helps guard the future of our planet.
This is a ticket-only event – but tickets are free and available here.
Explore. Discover. Experience.
Ice Explorers invites families on an interactive journey into the polar regions – where the ice tells stories of Earth’s past and present, and holds the clues to its future. Through hands-on experiments, live demonstrations and fascinating exhibits, you’ll see how researchers study ice, wildlife and climate change in some of the planet’s most extreme places.

Meet polar scientists and engineers who are studying Earth’s most extreme environments.
Step inside a polar field tent and see what it’s really like to live and work in freezing conditions.
Try on real polar clothing to learn what it takes to survive in the icy wilderness.
Hop aboard a snowmobile and snap a photo with our friendly penguins!
Hear stories from Antarctica – from battling blizzards to studying the ice, oceans and wildlife that hold clues to our changing planet

(Credit: Peter Fretwell)
The polar regions matter
Why are Antarctica and the Arctic vital for understanding climate change? What questions are scientists trying to answer, and how does what’s happening there affect the rest of the world?
Our research shows that the polar regions play a huge part in the Earth’s climate – by reflecting sunlight, storing frozen water and driving ocean currents. Understanding how these cold places are changing means we can better protect our planet’s future.
This ice-cool experience is open to everyone – from curious kids to lifelong explorers
Come along, uncover the science and take your first steps into the exciting world of polar research.
Tickets
Tickets are free and are available here.
A grounded iceberg seen from Lagoon Island in Ryder Bay, Antarctica
How to find us
Visit us in Cambridge.

Pop into the Polar Museum
2026-03-28 10:00 - 15:00 | Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, CB2 1EP, GB
As part of this year’s Cambridge Festival, why not drop into the Polar Museum in the heart of the city and enjoy a full day of ice-themed activities?
Meet artist Rowan Huntley and take the opportunity to talk with her about her work featured in the Through Ice and Fire exhibition. You’ll also be able to get hands-on with samples from her research and artistic experiments, offering a unique insight into her creative process.
British Antarctic Survey will have a field tent on display, giving you the chance to step inside and experience what it’s like to live and work in extreme polar conditions. Try on authentic polar clothing worn by researchers during field trips in remote parts of Antarctica and learn more about what it takes to survive in such a harsh, icy environment.
You can also explore the museum’s fascinating collection, with opportunities to handle objects connected to geology and scientific research in the polar regions across history. Chat with knowledgeable staff and volunteers as you examine geology samples and scientific equipment up close.

British Antarctic Survey at Duxford Summer Air Show
2026-07-04 10:00 - 2026-07-05 17:00 | Imperial War Museum Duxford, Duxford, Bar Hill Cambridge, Cambs, CB22 4QR, United Kingdom
Join the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) at this year’s Duxford Air Show and get an up-close encounter with one of our Twin Otter aircraft, essential for our pioneering scientific endeavours in Antarctica and beyond!

Duxford Air Show is one of the premier air shows taking place in the UK this year. A lively and family-friendly affair, you’ll be treated to fast jets, warbirds, aerobatic aircraft, funfair, live music and more!

Come and meet our distinctive Twin Otter aircraft, ‘Ice Cold Katy’ on static display over the weekend. Chat to our crew involved in airborne scientific projects and seize the opportunity to learn about the challenges of flying, working and living in some of the harshest environments on the planet.

Twin Otter Aircraft

BAS operates four Twin Otters, which form the backbone of our operations. In a typical season, they log approximately 1300 hours of flight time in Antarctica, supporting multiple scientific field projects. Two of our Twin Otters are specially modified to carry a wide range of sensors and instruments allowing them to do atmospheric and geophysical science, as well as airborne remote sensing. They also transport scientists to their field sites, resupply them, or relocate them during the season, and then safely return the team to Antarctic research stations upon completion of their projects.

Do come along to find out more!

The Duxford Summer Air Show takes place on 4 and 5 July 2026 at IWM Duxford, Duxford, Cambridgeshire, CB22 4QR
To book your tickets, visit the IWM Duxford Summer Air Show website.
