Since completing my undergraduate (Marine, Freshwater and Antarctic Biology, First Class Hons, University of Tasmania, Aus) and receiving my PhD (Trinity College, University of Cambridge, UK) I have worked at the British Antarctic Survey, as a marine ecologist within the Ecosystems Team.

My research is focused on understanding the structure (i.e., biodiversity and community composition) and functioning (i.e., carbon and nutrient cycling-  including climate regulation, and the transfer of energy through food webs to support productivity, fisheries, and wildlife tourism) of marine ecosystems within the Scotia Sea and Weddell Sea regions, their links to the Southern Ocean, and the impacts of  climate and other human stressors (such as fisheries, pollutants, and tourism) on these systems. I am particularly interested in understanding impacts on the complex life histories and distributions of pelagic (open water) species and communities (e.g., phytoplankton, zooplankton – especially copepods, fish, and squid), which link air breathing predators and benthic (ocean floor) communities, and are pivotal to Southern Ocean ecosystem structure and functioning across a range of spatio-temporal scales.  I also work in collaboration with scientists from other disciplines (e.g.,  climate scientists, oceanographers, biogeochemists, and computer modellers), institutes, research programmes, and initiatives to improve understanding of these aspects at the polar ocean scale (both Arctic and Southern Ocean), their links with the global ocean, and their contribution to and feedbacks with the Earth system. Understanding these regional and ocean scale aspects during the past and present allows us to predict what may happen to them in the future under continuing stressors.  Collectively, this information supports: our understanding of Earth system functioning, the parameterisation of regional and Earth system models, scenarios and projections of future change, which are needed to support Southern Ocean and global policy decisions in managing and conserving marine ecosystems.

Current projects

British Antarctic Survey Ecosystems Team research under the Polar Science For a Sustainable Planet Strategy 2022-2033 (primarily within the Ocean Ecosystems Research Group) relating to:

• Understanding the life-cycles of polar marine species
• The structure and functioning of polar ocean ecosystems
• Impacts of variability and change
• Modelling ecosystems and future change
• Conservation in areas of rapid change
• Lead Work Package 4 (Providing international leadership in polar marine ecosystem research), Research, Conservation, and Leadership in Southern Ocean Ecosystems programme (CONSEC)
• Panel Member, Ecosystems Community for Scientific Excellence and Learning (ECSEL)

Polar Regions in the Earth System (PolarRES), a €7.1M European Union Horizon2020 Research and Innovation Programme aimed at understanding how the projected changes in global circulation influence the climate of the Arctic and Antarctic and their implications for society and the environment (Oct 2021-2025):

• Co-lead, Work Package 6 (Polar climate change impacts on the environment and societal challenges and opportunities)
• Member, Work Package 7 (Dissemination, cooperation with stakeholders, synergies and policy outreach)
• Member, Scientific Steering Committee
• Chair, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Task Force
• Member, Dissemination Task Force

Biogeochemical processes and ecosystem function in changing polar systems and their global impacts (BIOPOLE), an £8.5M  interdisciplinary Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) National Capability Long-Term Science Multi-Centre (NC-SM2) programme aimed at addressing a fundamental aspect of the Earth System – how ecosystems in polar waters regulate the balance of carbon and nutrients in the worlds ocean, and support primary productivity and fisheries (Apr 2022- Mar 2027):

• Member, Executive Board, Scientific Co-ordination and Outreach
• Member, Work Package 2 (Biological Processes and Ecosystem Function)
• Member, Work Package 4 (Management and Synthesis)
• Lead, East-West Antarctic Forum
• Mentor, BIOPOLE Early Career Researcher group

UK Polar Research Expertise for Science and Society (PRESCIENT),  a £10.8M NERC National Capability Single Science Centre programme awarded to British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (CPOM), that supports UK led environmental science in the polar regions and UK national strategy and societal benefit (Apr 2022-2029):

• Member, Work Package 5 (National Public Good)

External Roles

Integrating Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics in the Southern Ocean (ICED), a regional programme of the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) and Future Earth’s Integrated Marine Biosphere Research project (IMBeR), and a co-sponsored programme of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) (2008-current):

• Co-founder and Programme Manager, responsible for the overall scientific direction and delivery of this programme
• Lead, Research Challenge 1 ‘State and Variability of Southern Ocean ecosystems’
• Member, Scientific Steering Committee of the Marine Ecosystem Assessment for the Southern Ocean (MEASO)

United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) a global UN initiative supporting transformative ocean science solutions for sustainable development, connecting people and our ocean:

• Member,  UN Decade of the Ocean Project ‘Polar Ecosystems – Global Impacts (BIOPOLE)’
• Member, Southern Ocean Task Force (representing ICED) advising the UN Decade Collaborative Centre for the Southern Ocean (DCC-SOR) on delivery of the Southern Ocean Action Plan
• Southern Ocean Task Force Liaison, Working Group 2: A Healthy and Resilient Ocean

Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), a thematic organisation of the International Science Council (ISC) charged with initiating, developing and coordinating high quality international scientific research in the Antarctic region, and its role in the Earth system:

• Member and Ex-officio delegate (representing ICED),  ‘Integrated Science to inform Antarctic and Southern Ocean Conservation’ (Ant-ICON) Scientific Research Programme (2021-2024)
• Member, Southern Ocean Task Force (representing ICED), which produced a Southern Ocean Action Plan, and is an Advisory Body to the UN Decade Collaborative Centre for the Southern Ocean Region (DCC-SOR)
• Member, 5th International Polar Year (2032-2033) Interim Planning Group (representing ICED), which has produced an Initial Concept Note

UK National Committee for Antarctic Research (UKNCAR), a body promoting and co-ordinating the UK’s interest in the activities of the SCAR and other areas of international Antarctic scientific activity:

• Member, UK Representative for ICED

European Marine Research Network (EuroMarine), a member-based, interdisciplinary, collaborative network of European marine organisations and research institutes (2014-current):

• Member, Steering Committee
• Member, General Assembly, representative for the British Antarctic Survey

Trans Antarctic Association (TAA), a charity that awards small grants to promote scientific research or expeditions of discovery in the Antarctic:

• Australian Representative, United Kingdom Advisory Committee

Association for Early Career Scientists (APECS), an international and interdisciplinary organisation for undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, early career faculty members, early career professionals, educators and others with interests in Polar and Alpine regions and the wider cryosphere:

• Mentor

UK Polar Network (UKPN), the UK National Committee of APECS International, which organises skill development workshops and education and outreach opportunities for early career polar research scientists:

• Member

Google Scholar Profile at:

http://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?hl=en&user=KAiF09kAAAAJ&cstart=20&view_op=list_works&gmla=AJsN-F5i08Gq-dDRj23skw3XAWme_aFso_pnp5Djgk-NVI5xhCzC_xnTrskZuKFC–ee6G06LDDpf5vuqn9kTuAiKxX6Sox7tdCLas_-jD7JZv5X5cbHaIyOpWnWq-9-ThLGKPiVimw3

ORCID ID

Nadine M Johnston (0000-0003-2211-1492) – ORCID

Publications from NERC Open Research Archive

• Stowasser, G., Fielding, S., & Tarling, G. (2026). The taxonomic composition, abundance and wet weight of macrozooplankton and micronekton captured by an RMT8 net during surveys of the Western Core Box (South Georgia), 2009-2019 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/967411bd-0a07-49fd-ad52-2bec65781ce7

• Clarke, A., & Johnston, N. (2025). A compilation of metabolic rate, body mass and body temperature (where available) data for a range of vertebrate and invertebrate species (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/8d9ffd4a-16c0-4d48-9fc9-02988676ef78

• Collins, M., Piatkowski, U., & Saunders, R. (2021). Distribution of mesopelagic fish in the Scotia Sea from RMT25 and pelagic trawls deployed from RRS James Clark Ross and RRS John Biscoe (Version 1.0) [Data set]. UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. https://doi.org/10.5285/f4dfc0ee-4f61-47c5-a5a8-238e02ff2fdd

1. PRESCIENT

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

   Read more of: PRESCIENT

   

2. Conservation and leadership in Southern Ocean ecosystems

   CONSEC explores how climate change and human activity are transforming the Southern Ocean, guiding global science and conservation.

   Read more of: Conservation and leadership in Southern Ocean ecosystems

   

3. Climate change and ecosystems in the Southern Ocean

   ICED is an international multidisciplinary programme launched in response to the increasing need to develop integrated circumpolar analyses of Southern Ocean climate and ecosystem dynamics.

   Read more of: Climate change and ecosystems in the Southern Ocean

   

4. Polar regions in the Earth system

   PolarRES investigates polar climate processes in the Arctic and Antarctic, improving global climate projections and reducing uncertainties to better assess environmental and social impacts.

   Read more of: Polar regions in the Earth system

   

5. Biogeochemical processes in polar ecosystems

   BIOPOLE studies how climate change is affecting the release of nutrients from the polar regions, and their redistribution around the world’s oceans.

   Read more of: Biogeochemical processes in polar ecosystems

   

1. Mission to Antarctica seeks answers to critical questions about nutrients and carbon

   Scientists return to the Southern Ocean this week (5 February 2025), as part of the BIOPOLE project, to answer fundamental questions about how nutrients drive the global carbon cycle and ocean ecosystems.

   Read more of: Mission to Antarctica seeks answers to critical questions about nutrients and carbon

   

2. Protecting our planet day 2023

   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 […]

   Read more of: Protecting our planet day 2023

   

3. Join British Antarctic Survey at Climate Exp0 for COP26

   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 […]

   Read more of: Join British Antarctic Survey at Climate Exp0 for COP26

   

BBC Science in Action (with Roland Pease 0:01 &  1:00): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct4sd9

BBC Sounds of Science (with Victoria Gill, 00:34 & 14:20): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001tj1l

BBC The World Tonight Radio 4 (with James Coomarasamy 00:53 & 34:03):  https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001t3h9

The Economist’s Babbage (with Alok Jha & Catherine Brahic): https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2024/05/15/why-the-defrosting-of-antarctica-will-be-felt-everywhere

STEM Learning’s Protecting Our Planet Day 2023 Protecting our Ice session live link from the RRS Sir David Attenborough: https://www.bas.ac.uk/event/protecting-our-planet-day-2023/

Carbon Brief: https://www.carbonbrief.org/sir-david-attenborough-how-polar-ship-will-help-scientists-study-climate-change/

New Scientist: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2381589-on-board-rrs-sir-david-attenborough-as-it-prepares-for-antarctic-trip/

New Scientist: https://www.newscientist.com/video/2382607-rrs-sir-david-attenborough-prepares-for-first-antarctic-science-voyage/

COP27

COP26

Join British Antarctic Survey at Climate Exp0 for COP26