11 March, 2019

The NERC Arctic Station in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, is delighted to be hosting the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme this week (12-14 March 2019), including science editor Tom Feilden and presenter Martha Kearney.

Live news reports on Tuesday 12, Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 March will put Arctic climate change in the spotlight and highlight a variety of science and engineering projects the Station is supporting, with researchers from British Antarctic Survey, and the Universities of Aberystwyth, Newcastle and Manchester. The reports will also describe daily life for the community living at the remote international research village of Ny-Ålesund.

Today Programme science editor Tom Feilden records on the short flight from Longyearbyen to Ny-Alesund. Credit_A Dinar @BAS

The station is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and operated by British Antarctic Survey.

Henry Burgess manages the NERC Arctic Office and is accompanying the team. He says:

“This region is experiencing the dramatic effects of climate change, so it’s increasingly important for researchers to understand how this environment will respond in the future. The station is surrounded by five huge glaciers that flow into the adjacent fjord. All have retreated and thinned over the last 50 years since the UK has been working here.

“This Station also provides a platform for engineers to test the latest technology in an extreme environment which is accessible and safe. Hosting the BBC team on station gives the opportunity to inform a wide audience about the importance of the UK station and this international community as a platform for world-class science.”

Follow #arcticr4today on Twitter for all the latest updates and reports.

Read about the recent science supported at the Station here: https://www.arctic.ac.uk/uk-arctic-research-station/stories-from-the-field/