Go deeper into the stories shaping research in Earth’s coldest places.
One Antarctic bay, 28 years: why long-term monitoring at Rothera matters
Scientists have been monitoring the ocean at Rothera Research Station almost without interruption since 1997.
The big breakup: why do scientists love enormous icebergs?
It's not just the media who find icebergs compelling. These frozen giants offer fresh clues about the polar environment today, and deep into Earth’s past.
Carbon sink or carbon source? Science flights over the changing Amazon Rainforest
As all eyes turn to Brazil for COP30, an unusual visitor has been flying over the Amazon Rainforest. Far from frozen runways, British Antarctic Survey aircraft 'Ice Cold Katy', has been supporting research above Earth's once-reliable green lung.
Giving whaling the hump: a story of whale recovery in South Georgia
The beautiful sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia has long been a wildlife haven, home to colonies of elephant seals, wandering albatross, gentoo, macaroni and king penguins. It’s this abundance of wildlife in South Georgia that made it a major hub for whaling – the consequences of which are still being felt by the recovering whale populations today.
Feeding the ocean, an icy solution
Glaciers are the unsung heroes of the global oceans – huge sources of nutrients that fertilise our oceans and act as the building blocks of life. How will this source of nutrients change in a warming world?
The last dance of the wandering albatross?
From pink spray paint to light-as-a-feather GPS loggers: the world of albatross tracking has come a long way in the past six decades. But one thing has sadly remained the same – the numbers of these iconic birds is decreasing.
The plastic legacy at the bottom of the planet
At the bottom of the world, where few humans have ever set foot, an unwelcome visitor has arrived. Antarctica – the vast, frozen wilderness of ice and snow – is […]
A rendezvous in the middle of nowhere
Antarctica, January 2025. Three expert teams are making their way across the stark frozen landscape, by sea, land and air – and they are planning to meet. Jamie Oliver shares an eye-witness account of this major logistics operation, undertaken by British Antarctic Survey in one of the world's harshest environments.
Behind the big blue door: the workshop helping to drive Antarctic science
There’s more machinery than you think involved in running an Antarctic research station – and keeping the vehicles moving are a team of hardy and inventive engineers.Ben Norrish (Head of […]
The core of the matter: the scientists using Antarctic ice to understand our climate
Whether it’s bubbles of ancient air, microscopic creatures, or the rumble of an impending ice quake – there’s more hidden in Antarctica’s vast polar desert than meets the eye. Ice […]
Precipitation at the Third Pole: the race to understand Himalayan rainfall
Water is one of the pillars of humanity's survival – and yet there's still much to explain about the processes that bring water to some of the world's largest populations.
