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 …
21 June, 2013
Antarctic Twin Otter features in Duxford Education Day Around 600 schoolchildren from across Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire attended a special STEMNET (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Network) Education Day at the …
9 June, 2013
Space weather forecasting system used by satellite operators Weather forecasting is a tricky enough job on Earth, but doing it for the outer atmosphere and beyond is even more problematic. …
Read more on NEWS STORY: Improving space weather forecasting
30 May, 2013
ATCM XXXVI Press Communique From 20th to 29th May 2013, Belgium hosted the XXXVI Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting and the XVI meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP). The …
29 May, 2013
Kids present online TV show about British Antarctic Survey School students Dominic and Hanaa visit British Antarctic Survey to find out about climate change – watch their interview with meteorologist …
22 May, 2013
Honorary Professorship for BAS polar ocean expert Michael Meredith Polar ocean expert, Michael Meredith, has been made an honorary Professor by the University of the Highlands and Islands. The professorship …
22 May, 2013
Halley VI Research Station to feature in Architectural Exhibition A new international touring exhibition illustrating how innovative contemporary architecture is enabling scientists to live and work in one of the …
13 May, 2013
It is with great sadness the British Antarctic Survey reports that Joe Farman died on Saturday 11 May 2013. He was 82. Joseph Charles Farman CBE, together with colleagues Brian …
7 May, 2013
Halley VI receives environmental science status upgrade The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has announced British Antarctic Survey’s Halley VI research station has attained Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Global station status. …
18 April, 2013
Age matters to Antarctic clams A new study of Antarctic clams reveals that age matters when it comes to adapting to the effects of climate change. The research provides new …
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 …
14 April, 2013
New insight into accelerating summer ice melt on the Antarctic Peninsula A new 1000-year Antarctic Peninsula climate reconstruction shows that summer ice melting has intensified almost ten-fold, and mostly since …
Read more on PRESS RELEASE: Increase in melt rates on Antarctic Peninsula
28 March, 2013
Summer melt season is getting longer on the Antarctic Peninsula, new data show New research from the Antarctic Peninsula shows that the summer melt season has been getting longer over …
21 March, 2013
Professor Jane Francis has been appointed as the new Director of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) Chief Executive of the Natural Environment Research Council, Duncan Wingham said, “I am delighted …
20 March, 2013
Top scientist receives Royal Society Research Professorship to fund long-term UK research A Royal Society Research Professorship has been awarded to one of British Antarctic Survey’s leading climate scientists Professor …
12 March, 2013
Saving the best for last – wandering albatrosses” last push for successful parenting Romanticised in poetry, the wandering albatross is famed for its enormous wing-span and long life. The bird …
8 March, 2013
Bedmap2 gives scientists a more detailed view of Antarctica”s landmass Scientists at the British Antarctic Survey have been working with a host of international collaborators to present the most detailed …
7 February, 2013
Professor Michael Meredith joins the Scottish Association for Marine Science Eminent Antarctic oceanographer, Professor Michael Meredith this week joined the staff at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) on …
5 February, 2013
New state-of-the-art Antarctic research station becomes fully operational this month Britain’s latest Antarctic Research Station becomes fully operational this month, signalling a new dawn for 21st Century polar research. Opening …
Read more on PRESS RELEASE: New research station operational
28 January, 2013
New Research Laboratory opened at Rothera Research Station A new scientific laboratory has been built at the UK Rothera Research Station in Antarctica as a result of an international collaboration …
23 January, 2013
Greenland ice core reveals warm past temperatures British Antarctic Survey scientists have contributed to a new study published in Nature (Thursday 24 January) that provides surprising details on changes in …
16 January, 2013
New Antarctic geological timeline aids future sea-level predictions Radiocarbon dates of tiny fossilised marine animals found in Antarctica’s seabed sediments offer new clues about the recent rapid ice loss from …
Read more on PRESS RELEASE: Assessing potential sea level rise
16 January, 2013
Polar medals awarded to three BAS staff Three British Antarctic Survey staff have been honoured with the Polar Medal. The Queen approved the awards for outstanding achievement and service to …
27 December, 2012
Antarctic lake mission called off In the early hours of Christmas Day (Tuesday 25 December 2012) Professor Martin Siegert, Principal Investigator of the Subglacial Lake Ellsworth experiment, confirmed that the …
18 December, 2012
UK names part of Antarctica in honour of the Queen The Foreign Secretary, William Hague, has announced that the southern part of British Antarctic Territory has been named Queen Elizabeth …
12 December, 2012
British team set to access and sample one of the last unexplored environments on Earth This week (12 December) a British team of scientists and engineers, including scientists from British …
Read more on PRESS RELEASE: British team to explore buried lake
30 November, 2012
British Antarctic Survey researchers part of landmark study to improve projections for future sea level An international team of satellite experts including researchers at British Antarctic Survey has produced the …
27 November, 2012
Antarctica Day was inaugurated in 2010 to celebrate the 1st December 1959 signature of the Antarctic Treaty, which was adopted “with the interests of science and the progress of all …
25 November, 2012
First evidence of ocean acidification affecting live marine creatures in the Southern Ocean The shells of marine snails – known as pteropods – living in the seas around Antarctica are …
19 November, 2012
British Antarctic Survey and Chilean Antarctic Institute sign agreement to strengthen science cooperation This month Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary, William Hague welcomed a joint commitment to partner …
11 November, 2012
Why Antarctic sea ice cover has increased under the effects of climate change The first direct evidence that marked changes to Antarctic sea ice drift have occurred over the last …
Read more on PRESS RELEASE: Changing winds increasing sea ice cover
2 November, 2012
Statement made this morning by NERC on the proposal to merge BAS and the National Oceanography Centre
Read more on Outcome of NERC Council meeting to consider proposal to merge BAS and NOC
29 October, 2012
Scientists discover new mechanism at work breaking-up icebergs An international team of scientists has discovered a previously unknown mechanism by which large tabular icebergs break up out at sea as …
29 October, 2012
The effects of microbial life on glaciers and ice sheets Around 10% of the Earth’s surface is covered by glacial ice (glaciers and ice sheets), some of which melt as …
25 October, 2012
On the 23rd October, Neil Carmichael MP hosted an Antarctic Reception at the House of Commons to promote the Antarctic Bill, which has its second reading in Parliament on the …
Read more on Antarctic Reception with Neil Carmichael MP at House of Commons
17 October, 2012
Ice sheet retreat controlled by the landscape Ice-sheet retreat can halt temporarily during long phases of climate warming, according to scientists. A UK team led by Durham University has found …
11 September, 2012
NERC consultation on proposal to merge BAS and National Oceanography Centre (NOC) The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) is undertaking a consultation exercise on a proposal to merge two of …
7 September, 2012
British team set to embark on ambitious Antarctic mission to penetrate & sample ancient buried lake After 16 years of planning the countdown is on for one of the most …
Read more on PRESS RELEASE: Mission to Antarctic buried lake
30 August, 2012
British Antarctic Survey scientists involved in NASA ‘space weather’ mission WASHINGTON — NASA’s Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP), the first twin-spacecraft mission designed to explore the Earth’s radiation belts, launched …
22 August, 2012
New climate history adds to understanding of recent Antarctic Peninsula warming Results published this week by a team of polar scientists from Britain, Australia and France adds a new dimension …
20 August, 2012
Ocean sampling: Rothera, Antarctic Peninsula: last but not least! Are the World’s oceans all the same, or are they different? OK at the most basic level, we all know that …
6 August, 2012
Royal Navy’s Antarctic patrol vessel, HMS Protector, pays a four-day visit to Ipswich The Royal Navy’s 5000 tonne Antarctic patrol vessel will sail into Ipswich on Friday (August 10) for …
5 August, 2012
New study helps predict impact of ocean acidification on shellfish An international study to understand and predict the likely impact of ocean acidification on shellfish and other marine organisms living …
3 August, 2012
An international team of scientists from the US, Norway, Germany and Holland are currently on the British Antarctic Survey’s RRS James Clark Ross trying to understand more about the behaviour …
29 July, 2012
New discovery of how carbon is stored in the Southern Ocean A team of British and Australian scientists has discovered an important method of how carbon is drawn down from …
25 July, 2012
Rothera Station staff take part in ‘All the Bells’ to celebrate the Olympics Kitchen pots, glasses and a bedpan are just some of the items being used by staff at …
25 July, 2012
Hidden rift valley discovered beneath West Antarctica reveals new insight into accelerating ice loss Scientists have discovered a one mile deep rift valley hidden beneath the ice in West Antarctica, …
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 …
13 July, 2012
Challenges facing the future of Antarctica A century ago, Antarctica was one of Earth’s last frontiers, but now the continent is under threat from human activity. An international team of …
26 June, 2012
Nunatak reunion at the Sanday Soulka festival on the Orkney Islands Having performed at one of the world’s biggest concerts ‘Live Earth*’ on 7th July 2007, Nunatak** — the British …
Read more on NEWS STORY: Antarctic band reform for one off gig
20 June, 2012
Antarctica celebrating Midwinter’s Day A hundred years ago Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his team celebrated Midwinter in Antarctica (known as Midsummer’s Day in the UK) — a tradition that …
7 June, 2012
Governing body considers combined management of polar and marine science The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) is considering a merger of the scientific and logistics management of marine and polar …
4 June, 2012
Jubilee Celebrations in Antarctica Scientists and support staff at the British Antarctic Survey Halley Research Station enjoyed a ‘mad hatters’ teaparty and some outdoor pursuits in Antarctica to celebrate the …
10 May, 2012
New studies improve scientists’ understanding of the potential contribution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to global sea level rise Three peer-reviewed papers in Nature and Nature Geoscience published in recent …
3 May, 2012
British Antarctic Survey geologists are participating in the ‘Discovering Earth’ Lyme Regis Fossil Festival from 4–6 May in the Dorset town of Lyme Regis. Come along to see for yourself …
Read more on BAS scientists at Lyme Regis Fossil Festival 4-6 May
30 April, 2012
Antarctic albatross displays shift in breeding habits A new study of the wandering albatross – one of the largest birds on Earth – has shown that some of the birds …
25 April, 2012
Warm ocean currents cause majority of ice loss from Antarctica Reporting this week (Thursday 26 April) in the journal Nature, an international team of scientists led by British Antarctic Survey …
16 April, 2012
Early on Easter Sunday morning (8th April), British Antarctic Survey ship RRS Ernest Shackleton was alerted to assist a Brazilian navy vessel Ary Rongel from thick pack ice in the …
Read more on BAS ship RRS Ernest Shackleton called to assist Brazilian navy vessel
13 April, 2012
Scientists count penguins from space A new study using satellite mapping technology reveals there are twice as many emperor penguins in Antarctica than was previously thought. The results provide an …
10 April, 2012
The new UK Antarctic Science Conference 2012 (UKASC2012), organised by British Antarctic Survey, with funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) is now accepting registrations for this year’s event. …
Read more on New UK Antarctic Science Conference opens for registration
6 April, 2012
This week in the journal Nature, Eric Wolff of British Antarctic Survey reviews an article by Jeremy Shakun et al. on the causes for the end of the last ice …
4 April, 2012
The BBC Frozen Planet series, which generated huge public interest in the polar regions, continues to engage large audiences. At the recent Missoula International Wildlife Film Festival in the US, …
Read more on BAS scientist talks about BBC Frozen Planet at Cheltenham Science Festival
3 April, 2012
As part of an international collaboration between British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the Netherlands Polar Programme — managed by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, Earth and Life Sciences Division …
Read more on New Laboratories arrive at Rothera Research Station
3 February, 2012
To mark the centenary of Captain Robert Falcon Scott a number of public exhibitions are taking place in London and Plymouth. Plymouth Landscapes of Exploration Landscapes of Exploration at the …
2 February, 2012
One of the most comprehensive studies of animals in the Southern Ocean reveals a region that is under threat from the effects of environmental change. Reporting in January 2012 in …
Read more on New study provides insight into Southern Ocean food web
31 January, 2012
The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) Director Professor Nick Owens has appointed two new Non-Executive members with immediate effect. Anne Miller Anne Miller is an innovator, entrepreneur and Director of the …
Read more on New Non-executive Directors for British Antarctic Survey
17 January, 2012
This week scientists and support staff at British Antarctic Survey (BAS) commemorate Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his companions, who reached the South Pole exactly one hundred a years ago. …
16 January, 2012
Engineering team completes ambitious Antarctic expedition in the ‘deep-field’ A team of four British Antarctic Survey (BAS) engineers has returned to the UK after completing a gruelling journey to one …
Read more on PRESS RELEASE: Challenging mission accomplished
6 January, 2012
The Polar Medal has been awarded to three members of staff almost 100 years after the great British explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his men reached the South Pole. …
Read more on British Antarctic Survey staff awarded the Polar Medal
4 January, 2012
Communities of species previously unknown to science have been discovered on the seafloor near Antarctica, clustered in the hot, dark environment surrounding hydrothermal vents. The discoveries, made by teams led …
22 December, 2011
New research shows how much food is needed by seabirds An international group of scientists has shown that many seabirds begin to suffer when the food available for them in …
22 December, 2011
As you get stuck into your turkey on Christmas Day, spare a thought for scientists working in Antarctica for British Antarctic Survey, where Christmas is just another working day. Around …
14 December, 2011
One century ago today, on 14th December 1911, Norwegian Roald Amundsen became the first man to reach the geographical South Pole. He led a party of five men, with four …
5 December, 2011
Scientist on BBC Frozen Planet investigates how world’s largest glacier is contributing to sea-level rise A team of scientists from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is to survey the largest glacier …
5 December, 2011
Scientists at British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have produced the most detailed map of underneath Antarctica — its rock bed. BEDMAP is a close-up view of the landscape beneath the Antarctic …
Read more on New map reveals what lies beneath the frozen continent
30 November, 2011
The Royal Navy’s new ice patrol ship, HMS Protector, left Portsmouth earlier this week (Monday 28 November) for an eight-month deployment surveying and patrolling the seas around Antarctica. The 5,000 …
Read more on New Ice Patrol ship HMS Protector heads for the frozen south
30 November, 2011
Antarctica Day was inaugurated in 2010 to celebrate the 1st December 1959 signature of the Antarctic Treaty, which was adopted “with the interests of science and the progress of all …
29 November, 2011
One hundred years ago, Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his team set off for the South Pole as part of the Terra Nova Expedition. This was a scientific mission to …
21 November, 2011
On the eve of the centenary of Sir Robert Falcon Scott’s expedition to the Antarctic, the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) 20011/12 field season is underway. The start of the season …
Read more on Antarctic field season kicks off for Centennial Year
21 November, 2011
The rights to produce and market innovative bird-tracking devices developed by British Antarctic Survey (BAS) has been granted to UK company Biotrack as part of a technology transfer agreement. The …
Read more on British Antarctic Survey licenses bird tracker technology to Biotrack
16 November, 2011
Gamburtsev Mountains enigma unraveled in interior East Antarctica The birth of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains buried beneath the vast East Antarctic Ice Sheet — a puzzle mystifying scientists since their …
15 November, 2011
This week on Frozen Planet (BBC1 Wednesday 16 November at 21.00, repeated Sunday at 16.10) the programme explores autumn in the polar regions. As life cools down in the Antarctic, …
7 November, 2011
This week on Frozen Planet (BBC1 Wednesday 9 November at 21.00, repeated Sunday at 16.10) the programme explores Summer in the Polar Regions. As life thrives in the Antarctic, viewers …
31 October, 2011
This week on Frozen Planet (BBC1 Wednesday 2 November at 21.00, repeated Sunday at 16.10) the programme explores Spring in the Polar Regions and how life begins the race to …
28 October, 2011
BAS biologist Dr Lloyd Peck and ice core scientist Dr Robert Mulvaney featured in the ‘Secret Life of Ice’ on BBC 4 (TV) this week. Ice is one of the …
21 October, 2011
Ice experts from agencies from nine countries this week issued a statement urging marine and shipping companies operating in the region of the Northwest Passage and the Northern Sea Route …
20 October, 2011
Series starts Wednesday 26 October, BBC1 at 9.00pm, repeated on Sundays at 4.10pm. Embark on the trip of a lifetime, as the award-winning BBC team behind Planet Earth takes you …
Read more on BBC Frozen Planet: the Poles like you’ve never seen them before…
18 October, 2011
Marking the end of the Rothera winter, Rothera had its first visitors since the departure of the Ernest Shackleton in March. On Tuesday a Kenn Borek Air (KBA) Twin Otter …
Read more on End of the Rothera winter and arrival of the first aircraft
14 October, 2011
The Advance Party from a team of 10 scientists and engineers planning to drill through 3km of ice in to an ancient hidden lake has begun its long journey from …
Read more on British Antarctic Survey engineers set off to explore the unknown
11 October, 2011
British Antarctic Survey engineering team heads to Antarctica to explore hidden lake Next week a British engineering team from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) heads off to Antarctica for the first …
25 September, 2011
A rapid increase in the frequency of icebergs pounding the shallow seafloor around the West Antarctic Peninsula — as a result of shrinking winter sea ice — has caused the …
Read more on Climate change affects marine animals on Antarctica’s seabed
16 September, 2011
New documentary examines the status of the Ozone Hole on the anniversary of the Montreal Protocol – a global agreement banning ozone depleting substances It’s over 25 years since British …
Read more on International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer (Ozone Day) – 16 September
9 September, 2011
An international team of scientists, led by Dr Stephen Barker of Cardiff University, has produced a prediction of what climate records from Greenland might look like over the last 800,000 …
4 August, 2011
Staff at British Antarctic Survey’s Rothera Research Station recently raised the Union flag to mark the first sighting of the sun again after several weeks of continual darkness. The sun …
Read more on Raising the flag to celebrate the return of the sun
4 August, 2011
Amelia Marks, from Royal Holloway University in the UK, has been awarded the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP) Research Fellowship 2011/2012. The Fellowship, worth up to US$15,000, …
Read more on Antarctic Organisation Announces Fellowship Recipient
25 July, 2011
Dr. José Xavier, a marine ecologist at the Institute of Marine Research of the University of Coimbra in Portugal and the British Antarctic Survey in UK, has been awarded the …
Read more on 2011 Martha T. Muse Prize awarded to BAS marine ecologist Dr José Xavier
15 July, 2011
Scientists from British Antarctic Survey and institutes around the world discuss ‘what lies beneath the ice’ at the International Symposium of Antarctic Earth Sciences in Edinburgh today (Friday 15 July). …
Read more on What lies beneath? Scientists discuss Antarctica’s hidden mountains
13 July, 2011
Antarctic geoscientists and ice sheet modellers get together in Edinburgh this week to investigate ways to improve predictions of likely sea-level rise as a result of future ice loss from …
Read more on Antarctic researchers strive to make better predictions for future sea-level rise
11 July, 2011
Underwater Antarctic volcanoes discovered in the Southern Ocean Scientists from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have discovered previously unknown volcanoes in the ocean waters around the remote South Sandwich Islands. Using …