Helen Peat, Author at British Antarctic Survey

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Helen Peat

Head of Polar Data Centre

I am responsible for the UK Polar Data Centre which is the focal point for Arctic and Antarctic environmental data management in the UK. The data centre comprises a team of data managers that manage biological, marine, physical and geophysical data collected in polar regions and supports UK researchers in complying with national and international data legislation and policy. I am the UK representative on the SCAR Standing Committee on Antarctic Data Management.

I have over 20 years experience using Oracle RDBMS, SQL, Oracle form and report tools, and more recently Application Express to design web front ends to Oracle databases both for data entry and data retrieval. Some of the databases and interfaces I have developed include:

The Antarctic Plant Database – a database of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic plant specimens;
Krillbase – a database of krill abundances and length frequencies;
Higher Predator Monitoring data – a database of long-term higher predator monitoring data conducted by the British Antarctic Survey at a variety of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic localities including data on population size, breeding success, diet and weight;
Rothera Oceanographic and Biological Time Series data – a database of long-term measurements of sea ice, temperature, salinity, chlorophyll, pH and macronutrients (N, P, Si) in the water column at Ryder Bay, Adelaide Island, Antarctic Peninsula.

Employment

2018- present Head of the UK Polar Data Centre, British Antarctic Survey

2004-2018 Senior data manager (band 5), British Antarctic Survey

1993-2004 Data manager (band 6), British Antarctic Survey

1989-1993 Reasearch Assistant, Dept of Biological Sciences, University of York

Education

1989-1992 D. Phil, University of York, Thesis entitled: Ecological Flora Database of the British Isles

1988-1989 MSc Information Studies, University of Sheffield

1984-1987 BSc Biology, University of York

Publications from NERC Open Research Archive

2024

Blair, Gordon S. . Baker, Garry. Bee, Emma. Bowie, Jo. Byrne, James . Darroch, Louise. Fremand, Alice . Garland, Wendy. Harrison, Kathryn. Heaven, Rachel. ten Hoopen, Petra . Juckes, Martin. Kingdon, Andy . Kingston, Richard. Kokkinaki, Alexandra. Lewis, Edd . MacRae, Molly. Mobbs, Stephen. Moncoiffe, Gwenaelle. Pascoe, Charlotte. Passmore, James. Peat, Helen . Pepler, Sam. Shepherd, Andy. Siddorn, John . Snaith, Helen. Tate, Alex . Townsend, Poppy. Walsh, Colm. Watkins, John . (2024) Contributions to the development of the next-generation NERC Environmental Data Service: Building Interoperability – a NERC Data Commons RoadMap.

2023

Venables, Hugh . Meredith, Michael P. . Hendry, Katharine R. . ten Hoopen, Petra . Peat, Helen . Chapman, Alice. Beaumont, Jennifer. Piper, Rayner. Miller, Andrew J. Mann, Paul. Rossetti, Helen. Massey, Ali. Souster, Terri . Reeves, Simon. Fenton, Mairi. Heiser, Sabrina. Pountney, Sam. Reed, Sarah. Waring, Zoë. Clark, Marlon. Bolton, Emma. Mathews, Ryan . London, Hollie. Clement, Alice . Stuart, Emma. Reichardt, Aurelia. Brandon, Mark. Leng, Melanie . Arrowsmith, Carol. Annett, Amber. Henley, Sian F. Clarke, Andrew . (2023) Sustained, year-round oceanographic measurements from Rothera Research Station, Antarctica, 1997-2017.

2022

ten Hoopen, Petra . Peat, Helen J. . Ward, Peter. Tarling, Geraint A. . (2022) Polar biodiversity data: from a national marine platform to a global data portal.

Clarke, Andrew . Peat, Helen J. . (2022) Seasonal and interannual variability of feeding in Antarctic benthos.

Frémand, Alice C. . Bodart, Julien A. . Jordan, Tom A. . Ferraccioli, Fausto . Robinson, Carl . Corr, Hugh F.J. Peat, Helen J. . Bingham, Robert G. Vaughan, David G. . (2022) British Antarctic Survey’s aerogeophysical data: releasing 25 years of airborne gravity, magnetic, and radar datasets over Antarctica.

2017

Atkinson, Angus. Hill, Simeon L. . Pakhomov, Evgeny A. Siegel, Volker. Anadon, Ricardo. Chiba, Sanae. Daly, Kendra L. Downie, Rod. Fielding, Sophie . Fretwell, Peter . Gerrish, Laura . Hosie, Graham W. Jessopp, Mark J. Kawaguchi, So. Krafft, Bjørn A. Loeb, Valerie. Nishikawa, Jun. Peat, Helen J. . Reiss, Christian S. Ross, Robin M. Quetin, Langdon B. Schmidt, Katrin. Steinberg, Deborah K. Subramaniam, Roshni C. Tarling, Geraint A. . Ward, Peter. (2017) KRILLBASE: a circumpolar database of Antarctic krill and salp numerical densities, 1926–2016.

Waluda, Claire M. . Hill, Simeon L. . Peat, Helen J. . Trathan, Philip N. . (2017) Long term variability in the diet and reproductive performance of penguins at Bird Island, South Georgia.

2016

Peat, H.J. . Editors: Wyatt, H.V (2016) Botany, plant ecology and the environment.

Tarling, G.A. . Hill, S. . Peat, H. . Fielding, S. . Reiss, C. Atkinson, A. (2016) Growth and shrinkage in Antarctic krill Euphausia superba is sex-dependent.

2015

Afanasyev, Vsevolod. Buldyrev, S.V. Dunn, Michael . Robst, Jeremy. Preston, Mark. Bremner, Steven. Briggs, Dirk. Brown, Ruth. Adlard, Stacey. Peat, Helen . (2015) Increasing accuracy: a new design and algorithm for automatically measuring weights, travel direction and radio frequency identification (RFID) of penguins..

2014

Horswill, Catharine . Matthiopoulos, Jason. Green, Jonathan A. Meredith, Michael P. . Forcada, Jaume . Peat, Helen . Preston, Mark. Trathan, Phil N. . Ratcliffe, Norman . (2014) Survival in macaroni penguins and the relative importance of different drivers: individual traits, predation pressure and environmental variability.

2013

Peat, Helen J. . (2013) The Antarctic Plant Database: a specimen and literature based information system.

Purvis, O.W. Convey, P. . Flowerdew, M.J. Peat, H.J. . Najorka, J. Kearsley, A. (2013) Iron localization in Acarospora colonizing schist on Signy Island.

2012

Convey, P. . Smith, R.I.L. Peat, H.J. . Pugh, P.J.A. (2012) The terrestrial biota of Charcot Island, eastern Bellingshausen Sea, Antarctica: an example of extreme isolation.

Convey, P. . Smith, R.I.L. Hodgson, D.A. . Peat, H.P. . (2012) The flora of the South Sandwich Islands, with particular reference to the influence of geothermal heating.

Rozema, J. Noordijk, A.J. Broekman, R.A. van Beem, A. Meijkamp, B.M. de Bakker, N.V.J. van de Staaij, J.W.M. Stroetenga, M. Bohncke, S.J.P. Konert, M. Kars, S. Peat, Helen . Smith, R.I.L. Convey, Peter . (2012) (Poly)phenolic compounds in pollen and spores of antarctic plants as indicators of solar UV-B: a new proxy for the reconstruction of past solar UV-B?.

Waluda, Claire M. . Hill, Simeon L. . Peat, Helen J. . Trathan, Philip N. . (2012) Diet variability and reproductive performance of macaroni penguins Eudyptes chrysolophus at Bird Island, South Georgia.

Quayle, Wendy C. Peck, Lloyd S. . Peat, Helen . Ellis-Evans, J.C. Harrigan, P. Richard. (2012) Extreme responses to climate change in Antarctic lakes.

Convey, Peter . Block, William. Peat, Helen J. . (2012) Soil arthropods as indicators of water stress in Antarctic terrestrial habitats?.

Quayle, Wendy C. Convey, Peter . Peck, Lloyd S. . Ellis-Evans, Cynan J. Butler, Helen G. Peat, Helen J. . (2012) Ecological responses of maritime Antarctic lakes to regional climate change.

Terauds, Aleks. Chown, Steven L. Morgan, Fraser. Peat, Helen J. . Watts, David J. Keys, Harry. Convey, Peter . Bergstrom, Dana M. (2012) Conservation biogeography of the Antarctic.

2011

George, Alison L. Peat, Helen J. . Buma, Anita G.J. (2011) Evaluation of DNA dosimetry to assess ozone-mediated variability of biologically harmful radiation in Antarctica.

Fretwell, Peter T. . Convey, Peter . Fleming, Andrew H. . Peat, Helen J. . Hughes, Kevin A. . (2011) Detecting and mapping vegetation distribution on the Antarctic Peninsula from remote sensing data.

2009

Peat, Helen J. . Clarke, Andrew . Convey, Peter . (2009) Diversity and biogeography of the Antarctic flora.

Newsham, K.K. . Hodgson, D.A. . Murray, A.W.A. Peat, H.J. . Smith, R.I. Lewis. (2009) Response of two Antarctic bryophytes to stratospheric ozone depletion.

2008

Newsham, K.K. . Geissler, P.A. Nicolson, M.J. Peat, H.J. . Lewis-Smith, R.I. (2008) Sequential reduction of UV-B radiation in the field alters the pigmentation of an Antarctic leafy liverwort.

2007

Trathan, P.N. . Green, C. Tanton, J. Peat, H. . Poncet, J. Morton, A. (2007) Foraging dynamics of macaroni penguins Eudyptes chrysolophus at South Georgia during brood-guard.

Peat, H. (2023). Mapping of the extent of vegetation patches on Leonie and Anchorage Islands in Ryder Bay, Antarctica in 2007 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/8a885e6c-3a27-4cd7-850a-1ac1b9f89576
Clarke, A., Meredith, M., Venables, H., Hendry, K., Peat, H., ten Hoopen, P., Brandon, M., Henley, S., Annett, A., Leng, M., Arrowsmith, C., Chapman, A., Beaumont, J., Piper, R., Miller, A., Mann, P., Rossetti, H., Massey, A., Souster, T., … Clement, A. (2022). Quasi-weekly, year-round oceanographic and ice measurements at the coastal Western Antarctic Peninsula from 1997 to 2018 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/50acb5b7-5b42-44cd-a98e-790bd367f204
Clarke, A., Peat, H., Chapman, A., Beaumont, J., Piper, R., Miller, A., & Mann, P. (2021). Feeding activity in shallow water marine benthos at Ryder Bay, Antarctica, 1997-2005 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/159edb0c-15d4-4d2b-ba49-fbd69f2e1a66
Atkinson, A., Pakhomov, E., Siegel, V., Jessopp, M., Peat, H., Kawaguchi, S., Hill, S., Loeb, V., Hewitt, R., Fielding, S., Tarling, G., Daly, K., Ashjian, C., Chiba, S., Ensor, N., Brewster, C., Watkins, J., Hosie, G., Ichii, T., … ten Hoopen, P. (2020). KRILLBASE-length frequency database, a compilation of scientific net sampling data on length, sex and maturity stage of Euphausia superba around the Southern Ocean, 1926 to 2016 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. https://doi.org/10.5285/dfbcbbf9-8673-4fef-913f-64ea7942d97a
Peat, H., & Ellis-Evans, J. (2004). Long-term monitoring of Signy Island lakes chemistry by BAS, 1963-2004 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://data.bas.ac.uk/full-record.php?id=GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/00063
Peat, H. (2004). Biologically relevant spectroradiometer data, Rothera Station, from 1997 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://data.bas.ac.uk/full-record.php?id=GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/00018

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.

Read more of: ANTARCTICA INSYNC
Evaluating climate change risks to Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish

This project assesses how climate change affects Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish populations in the South Atlantic. Led by British Antarctic Survey (BAS), it focuses on the UK Overseas Territory of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands.

Read more of: Evaluating climate change risks to Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish
Port Lockroy Data Portal

Port Lockroy is the site of the first permanent British Antarctic base, ‘Base A’.

Read more of: Port Lockroy Data Portal
Building data resources for managing the South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands Marine Protected Area

This project ensures the protection and conservation of the region’s rich and diverse marine life, whilst allowing sustainable fisheries.

Read more of: Building data resources for managing the South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands Marine Protected Area
KRILLBASE

KRILLBASE compiles and shares circumpolar data on Antarctic krill and salps. The project supports research, fisheries management, and conservation across the Southern Ocean.

Read more of: KRILLBASE
Herbarium Collection

A collection of dried plant specimens from the Antarctic, sub-Antarctic and surrounding continents.

Read more of: Herbarium Collection

Herbarium

The plant collections held in the British Antarctic Survey’s herbarium consist of over 40,000 plant specimens from Antarctica, the sub-Antarctic Islands and surrounding continents.

Read more of: Herbarium
New study reveals what penguins eat

The longest and most comprehensive study to date of what penguins eat is published this month. The study, published in the journal Marine Biology, examines the diets of gentoo penguins […]

Read more of: New study reveals what penguins eat

Team

Information Services team
UK Polar Data Centre team

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