12 February, 2019

It is with great sadness that we report the death of Emeritus Fellow, Professor David Walton.  David was an ecologist in BAS for over 40 years since 1967. He was head of terrestrial biology and then head of the Environment Information Division until his retirement. He had a long and distinguished career in BAS and was recognised for his Antarctic expertise worldwide.

David was incredibly active in many areas of Antarctic science and policy, in particular for SCAR. In 2006 he was the recipient of the SCAR Medal for International Scientific Coordination and represented SCAR in many Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings. He was the Chair of SCAR’s Group of Specialists on Environmental Affairs and Conservation, and editor of the SCAR Antarctic Environments Portal.  He was involved in many Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings as Chief Editor of the annual report.

David Walton

He was Editor in Chief of the scientific journal Antarctic Science, which he established in 1989, and has contributed to, compiled and edited six books on research in Antarctica. He was Chief Scientist on the recent Antarctic Circumpolar Expedition (ACE) and was advisor to the forthcoming GLACE scientific expedition to Greenland with the Swiss Polar Institute – and so many more activities in the Antarctic community.

David was dedicated to Antarctica and polar science. He has very many friends across BAS and the international Antarctic community who will miss him greatly.

Our thoughts are with his wife Sharon and their three children.