1990-1995 BAS, wintered Signy Island, PhD
1996 Frontier, Mozambique coastal ecology
1997-2001 University College Cork, lecturer
2002-present BAS Marine Ecologist and visiting lecturer Cambridge University
Mathews, R., Peck, L., Barnes, D., Morley, S., & Flint, G. (2025). Marine benthic biodiversity survey comprising seabed video and imagery from Rothera Point, November 2023 to February 2024 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/2c313c0b-7cf4-4206-8cd1-adc8d0530794
Mathews, R., Peck, L., Barnes, D., Morley, S., & Flint, G. (2025). Conductivity, temperature, depth (CTD) data from Rothera Point, Antarctica, November 2023 to February 2024 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/454dc5c6-0375-4497-bb76-6664620f708f
Sinclair, D., Gossmann, T., Barnes, D., & Hillenbrand, C. (2025). Carbon Properties of Sediment Cores from the Southern Ocean and Wider Polar Front (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/148d0f6e-b4ec-45cc-af76-e0dad9e9faa5
Morley, S., Campanella, F., Baylis, A., Barnes, D., Bell, J., Bennison, A., Collins, M., Glass, T., Martin, S., Whomersley, P., Young, E., & Schofield, A. (2024). Fisheries acoustic data, whale and bird data from two transits from the Falkland Islands to Tristan da Cunha during March 2018 (RRS James Clark Ross) and March 2019 (RRS Discovery) (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/db06c590-4f6d-4a8a-9b8c-ce45204103c1
Scourse, J., Roman Gonzalez, A., Barnes, D., Sands, C., Hollyman, P., Munoz Ramirez, C., Bascur, M., Jenkins, S., Goodall-Copestake, W., Janosik, A., Whitaker, J., Garza, T., Pienkowski, A., Zwerschke, N., Van Landeghem, K., Featherstone, A., Guzzi, A., Alexandroff, S., Butler, P., … Trofimova, T. (2024). Biological specimen list of marine organisms collected from the West Antarctic Peninsula between 2017 and 2020 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/b024841b-2520-43f8-96c7-3abc78cd04d2
Morley, S., Souster, T., Gerrish, L., Vause, B., Peck, L., & Barnes, D. (2022). Blue carbon data for marine invertebrates living on soft substrata (20m South Cove and Hangar Cove) and Rocky substrata (Cheshire Island) around Rothera Point Antarctica (2013-2015). (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/f3fe6bff-fefd-48d4-8024-dfb3e33a818f
Souster, T., & Barnes, D. (2022). Benthic functional diversity using imagery from drop down live camera feed in the Norwegian part of the Barents Sea in 2017 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/67bcf9d9-3efb-40b4-91bf-7be6a18bcd00
Retallick, K., Van Landeghem, K., Fremand, A., Howard, F., Sands, C., Roman-Gonzalez, A., Barnes, D., Jenkins, S., Munoz-Ramirez, C., & Scourse, J. (2021). Seafloor bathymetry of Sheldon Cove, Börgen Bay and Marian Cove, merged and gridded from EM122 multibeam echosounder data collected for the project NE/P003087/1 (2017-2020) (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/1b4ab7bc-4272-4b16-a642-565e40544b0a
Fremand, A., & Barnes, D. (2019). A bathymetric compilation of Ascension Island, 2000-2017 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. https://doi.org/10.5285/afba710f-dab1-4a63-867b-520177388224
This three-year project aims to leave a legacy of robust information about the marine ecosystem as well as oceanographic and food web modelling that will provide the scientific information necessary to develop policies to manage marine ecosystem resources, especially those relating to food security and eco-tourism.
This project investigated plastic pollution across Arctic and Antarctic environments. Scientists collected water, ice, and sediment samples to quantify macro and microplastic pollution, track its sources, and assess its impact on polar wildlife.
Polar Expertise – Supporting Development
Since Near-shore Marine Biology was moved to Rothera in 1997, we have been conducting biological long-term monitoring in both the marine and terrestrial environments. These represent some of the longest continuous datasets in the Southern Ocean.
Baseline study to monitor how marine biodiversity will respond to climate change
SO-AntEco was a British Antarctic Survey (BAS) led expedition undertaken in conjunction with an international team of scientists from the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR) AntEco research programme.
The heated settlement panels project tested how marine life responded to warmer oceans. The focus was on the waters of the Antarctic Peninsula, one of the fastest-warming regions on Earth
AIMS gathers baseline scientific data on Ascension Island’s globally important marine wildlife and fisheries to help the island government manage and conserve its marine resources.
The ASCCC Project investigates, quantifies and understands the role of polar and subpolar seabeds in the carbon cycle, particularly in response to climate change.
The RRS Sir David Attenborough has begun its polar science trials in Antarctica. A team of 30 national and international scientists, engineers and technical staff are working on the ship […]
This week at Climate Exp0, Dr David Barnes, benthic marine Ecologist at British Antarctic Survey, has discussed the potential for mitigating climate change through nature-based solutions, including sharing collaborative research […]
A British Antarctic Survey team has just returned from a three-week science cruise with National Geographic on board the RRS James Clark Ross around Ascension Island’s seamounts. This five-part blog, […]
A study published this month in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science reveals that disturbing the seabed, through activities such as trawling, could increase the scale and speed of climate change.
Join us for Protecting Our Planet Day (POP23), an engaging live-streamed event tailored for schools. The full-day program features live link-up sessions with inspiring experts dedicated to addressing climate change […]
Climate, biodiversity, and societal challenges are intrinsically linked and yet are usually viewed in isolation. A new review study, published in the journal Science this week (21st April 2023), focusses […]
Congratulations to BAS staff who have been awarded a Polar Medal in the 2023 New Year’s Honours List for their scientific work or their technical support for science, in order […]
Far beneath the ice shelves of the Antarctic, there is more marine life than expected, finds a recent study in the journal Current Biology, published this week (20 December 2021). […]
A workshop report published today (10 June) by 50 of the world’s leading biodiversity and climate experts states that unprecedented changes in climate and biodiversity, driven by human activities, have […]
Online, free and open to all, Climate Exp0 is the first virtual conference from the COP26 Universities Network and the Italian University Network for Sustainable Development (RUS). We are pleased […]
A new study identifies the non-native species most likely to ‘invade’ the Antarctic Peninsula region over the next decade. It provides a baseline for all operators in the region to […]
A team of scientists set sail this week (12 March) for the remote South Atlantic islands of Tristan da Cunha and St Helena. This mission is part of BAS’ commitment […]
A new study of the animals living in polar oceans reveals which are most at risk from climate change. The study is published today (17 January) in Frontiers in Marine […]
The amount of plastic washing up onto the shores of remote South Atlantic islands is 10 times greater than it was a decade ago, according to new research published today […]
The seas around the Antarctic Peninsula are biologically extremely rich, but are climatically sensitive, having experienced some of the fastest warming globally in recent decades. A special issue of the […]
A team of scientists on board the RRS James Clark Ross (JCR) has conducted marine biodiversity research around the Island of St Helena with a team of UK based and […]
The RRS James Clark Ross left the Falkland Islands yesterday (15th March) and is travelling towards Tristan Da Cunha, with expected arrival on the 22nd March. The vessel will survey […]
A team of scientists has discovered that a 1°C rise in local sea temperature has massive impacts on an Antarctic marine community. These new results are published this week (31 […]
One of the best-known impacts of climate change is the loss of sea ice in the Arctic, but also in parts of the Antarctic: the poles are increasingly turning from […]
When divers laid a grid of 225 markers on the seabed it started one of the longest marine disturbance experiments anywhere in the world. Surveyed and replaced annually, they show […]
Shallow-water ecosystems are a major carbon sink, as many species living on the seafloor use carbon to build their tissue and shells. This carbon can become part of seafloor sediment […]
A new marine biodiversity study in one of the largest Marine Protected Areas in the world reveals the impact of environmental change on subantarctic seabed animals and answers big questions […]
BAS owns a number of bespoke nets, trawls and sledges that can be deployed from the RRS Sir David Attenborough to sample ecosystems in the water column and on the seafloor.
This paper shows that, contrary to long-held ideas, the intensity of competition (density of direct, physical spatial contests) differs little with latitude. However, the severity of competition (contests with a […]
New research highlights differences between the tropics and the poles Rivalry between species is common the world over as animals fight for territory and resources such as food. But, according […]
Supporting near-shore marine biology
Climate related iceberg activity has massively altered life on the seabed Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey have found evidence that climate change has fundamentally altered the way that life […]
New species recovered from Amundsen Sea More than thirty new, and, as yet unclassified, species of marine life were discovered during a science expedition to the Amundsen Sea off Pine […]
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 […]
Captain Scott’s century-old collections suggest marine life is capturing more carbon Tiny Antarctic marine creatures collected 100 years ago by Antarctic explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott give new clues about […]
Event: A Decade of Discovery: Census of Marine Life — News Conference Venue: Royal Institution, London Date: Monday 4 October: 12.30 – 16.30 Findings from a major international investigation into […]
Marine animals suggest evidence for a trans-Antarctic seaway A tiny marine filter-feeder, that anchors itself to the sea bed, offers new clues to scientists studying the stability of the West […]
New photographs of ice fish, octopus, sea pigs, giant sea spiders, rare rays and beautiful basket stars that live in Antarctica’s continental shelf seas are revealed this week by the […]
Listen to Dave Barnes and Katrin Linse talking to Richard Hollingham for NERC’s Planet Earth Online about the remarkable biodiversity around Antarctica’s South Orkney Islands. Related link Biodiversity Podcast on […]
First comprehensive inventory of life in Antarctica The first comprehensive “inventory” of sea and land animals around a group of Antarctic islands reveals a region that is rich in biodiversity […]
A special issue of the international journal Antarctic Science collates, for the first time, the diverse results obtained from the BIOPEARL research cruise (2006) within the Scotia Arc region of […]
Antarctic worms, sea spiders, urchins and other marine creatures living in near-shore shallow habitats are regularly pounded by icebergs. New data suggests this environment along the Antarctic Peninsula is going […]
New research into how biodiversity is generated and maintained in the seas surrounding hostile Polar Regions is reported in this month?s Proceedings of the Royal Society (Biological Sciences). British Antarctic […]