Andrew Fleming is the Head of the Mapping and Geographic Information Centre at the British Antarctic Survey. He leads the group’s activities covering topographic mapping and delivery of the spatial data infrastructure for BAS, plus wider application of geospatial and remote sensing methods to science and operational projects in the polar regions.

He has led the Polar View project in the Antarctic since 2004, which develops and delivers near-real-time sea ice information to users operating in polar oceans. He plays key roles in international projects concerned with improving sea ice information for mariners, including EU H2020 Arctic PASSION projects and previously the Copernicus Marine Service and H2020 Extreme Earth project. He is actively involved in the International Ice Charting Working Group.

He is involved in projects to exploit hyperspectral data in the Antarctic and with the BAS Artificial Intelligence Lab on methods to track icebergs. He is also involved in projects to widen access to EO data including the ESA Polar Thematic Exploitation Platform. His work involves participation in numerous field- and ship-based campaigns in the Arctic and Antarctic.

• Bett, D., Holland, P., Naveira Garabato, A., Jenkins, A., Dutrieux, P., Kimura, S., & Fleming, A. (2020). Model results of Amundsen Sea freshwater tracing and iceberg variation simulations (Version 1.0) [Data set]. UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. https://doi.org/10.5285/8ad04d77-6a41-419a-b0d7-18eee743bf26

• Fleming, A. (2009). Polar View – satellite Earth observation data (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://data.bas.ac.uk/full-record.php?id=GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/00360

1. Improving how we measure Antarctic sea ice

   QUASAR uses AI to improve Antarctic sea ice measurements from satellites, making climate data more reliable for scientists tracking changes in polar regions.

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2. ANTARCTICA INSYNC

   ANTARCTICA INSYNC brings together researchers from around the world including British Antarctic Survey to study the continent and the Southern Ocean at the same time.

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3. PRESCIENT

   PRESCIENT supports long-term, strategically important measurements and capabilities for the wider science community.

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4. Uniting Arctic climate observation systems

   Arctic PASSION brought together international partners, including Indigenous and local communities, to improve how we monitor the rapidly changing Arctic and make environmental data freely available to those who need it.

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5. Digital Twins of the Polar Regions

   This project is developing digital twins of Antarctic and Arctic environments and resources. A digital twin makes it possible to test “what if” questions far more quickly than traditional computer models.

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6. AI4EOAccelerator

   AI4EO Accelerator applies artificial intelligence to the large amounts of Earth Observation satellite data now available,

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7. Polar Ice

   The aim of this project is to develop a next generation sea ice information service by integrating and building on a wide range of European and national funded activities which incorporate many of the required components.

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8. Larsen-C Benthos

   The Larsen-C Benthos project studied benthic biodiversity on the seabed exposed by the 2017 calving of the Larsen-C Ice Shelf.

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9. Polar Thematic Exploitation Platform

   Polar TEP provides polar researchers with access to computing resources, earth observation and other data, and software tools in the cloud.

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10. EC Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service

    The Copernicus marine environment monitoring service provides regular and systematic reference information on the state of the physical oceans and regional seas.

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11. Improving shipping safety in the Arctic

    Optimising situational awareness in the Arctic through integrated space technologies

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12. Hyperspectral imaging for Antarctic mapping

    The project has focused on exploiting information present in hyperspectral images, with a view to developing mapping tools to aid in the geological investigations.

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13. Polar View

    Polar View delivers information about sea ice direct to ships operating in the Southern Ocean.

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14. EU-PolarNet

    A strategic framework to connect science and society

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1. Wilkins Ice Shelf breakup video

   Wilkins Ice Shelf Breakup from AHF on Vimeo.

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2. Data links

   ESRIN rolling archive Kiruna rolling archive PO.DAAC NSIDC MODIS Rapid Response LP.DAAC GloVis NESDIS NEODC NEODAAS BADC BODC CEH EIDC NODC NASA Ocean Color NASA Giovanni AVISO GHRSST NGDC MOA […]

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3. Polar View links

   General Polar View project site – www.polarview.org Polar View Antarctic node – www.polarview.aq Google Earth links Envisat ASAR WSM N1 files – last 24 hours Envisat ASAR WSM N1 files […]

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4. Wilkins ice bridge snaps

   Satellite pictures, from the European Space Agency (ESA), revealed that the 40-km (25 mile) long strip of floating ice believed to pin the Wilkins Ice Shelf in place had snapped […]

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1. Breaking the ice: divers head beneath UK’s polar research ship in Antarctic sea ice mission

   Specialist divers will be entering the icy waters of the Weddell Sea, Antarctica this festive season (22-29 December) as part of a groundbreaking mission to test RRS Sir David Attenborough’s (SDA) ability to navigate through challenging sea ice conditions.

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2. Satellite observations show accelerating greening of Antarctic Peninsula

   New research released today in Nature Geoscience reveals that vegetation cover on the Antarctic Peninsula has increased more than tenfold in the past four decades.

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3. New animation shows track of giant A23a iceberg

   Scientists at British Antarctic Survey are using satellite images to track the colossal iceberg A23a.

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4. RRS Sir David Attenborough completes ice trials

   The RRS Sir David Attenborough completes ice trials during its maiden voyage to Antarctica – a critical milestone in the commissioning of Britain’s new polar ship. This is the first […]

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5. Giant iceberg mission begins

   A research mission to determine the impact of the giant A-68a iceberg on one of the world’s most important ecosystems departs from Stanley in the Falkland Islands today (2 February […]

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6. Penguins benefit from extended maritime zone

   Gentoo penguins are benefiting from a newly enlarged no-fishing zone (known as a No-Take Zone NTZ) around the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia following British Antarctic Survey (BAS) tracking research […]

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7. A68 iceberg heads towards South Georgia

   An iceberg is heading towards the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. A68a – the size of the UK county of Somerset – broke off from the Larsen C ice shelf […]

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8. Scientists to visit hidden Antarctic ecosystem after giant iceberg calving

   A team of scientists, led by British Antarctic Survey (BAS), is planning an urgent mission to investigate a mysterious marine ecosystem that’s been hidden beneath an Antarctic ice shelf for […]

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9. Aerial photography camera

   BAS uses aerial photography taken with this camera for topographic, geological and vegetation mapping, interpreting satellite imagery and counting populations of penguins and seals.

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10. Huge Antarctic iceberg finally breaks free

    After months of ‘hanging by a thread’ a vast iceberg the size of Norfolk has finally broken off Antarctica’s Larsen C Ice Shelf.  Around 30 metres of this 190m thick […]

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11. Giant iceberg set to calve from Larsen C Ice Shelf

    A huge iceberg, roughly the size of Norfolk, looks set to break away from the Larsen C ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula.  Larsen C is more than twice the size […]

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12. NEWS STORY: Satellites spot seabird poo!

    Seabird poo has unique spectral signature visible from satellite images Scientists have discovered that penguin and seabird poo (guano) from colonies around the Antarctic Peninsula has a unique spectral signature […]

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13. New Arctic sea-ice information service established

    British Antarctic Survey remote sensing expert Andrew Fleming is part of a new European project to aid ships’ navigation in ice-infested waters in the European Arctic and the Baltic Sea […]

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