Rothera Time Series
Earth System indicators in Antarctica
Oceanography
Polar oceans influence the entire Earth System in all areas, including the seas around the UK. The polar oceans have an enormous capacity to store and redistribute fresh water, heat, carbon dioxide and other climatically-important substances. Oceanographic studies help make more accurate predictions about global impacts.
The role of the Southern Ocean in regulating atmospheric CO2 on glacial-interglacial timescales
The cause of the variability in atmospheric CO2 over glacial-interglacial timescales has been a puzzle since its discovery in the early 1980s. It is widely believed to be related to …
Impacts of Ocean Acidification on Sea-Surface
In order to assess the impact of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) on the oceans today we are investigating the effect of decreasing upper ocean pH on calcifying zooplankton. Pteropods, …
BEAMISH: Basal Conditions on Rutford Ice Stream
The polar ice sheets play a major role in controlling Earth’s sea level and climate, but our understanding of their history and motion is poor. The biggest uncertainty in predicting …
SONA
The Southern Ocean Network of Acoustics (SONA) represents a group of scientific institutes and industrial partners who have united to measure an under-sampled component of the ecosystem – the mid-trophic …
iSTAR-B Ocean circulation and melting beneath the ice shelves of the south-eastern Amundsen Sea
iStar-B studies ocean circulation and melting beneath the ice shelves of the south-eastern Amundsen Sea
iSTAR-A Ocean2Ice Processes and variability
iStar-B strives to better understand ocean and ice interaction, processes and variability
iSTAR – Stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet
Science on the move – the mission to understand the stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet
Filchner Ice Shelf System, Antarctica
Understanding the contribution that polar ice sheets make to global sea-level rise is recognised internationally as urgent. The mission of this five-year project is to capture new observations and data …
ASCCC
The ASCCC Project has been funded by ACE (Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition) to investigate, quantify and understand the role of polar and subpolar seabeds in the carbon cycle, particularly in response …
Antarctic tipping points
1 June, 2023
Concern is rising about tipping points in the Antarctic region (Armstrong et al., 2022). Recent heatwaves, changes in the Southern Ocean, and a reduction in the extent of Antarctic sea …
Un-mixing the ocean: double diffusion and turbulence in polar oceans
19 January, 2022
First Antarctic research mission on polar ship
20 November, 2023
A team of international researchers set sail on the RRS Sir David Attenborough today (20 November) to answer some of the big questions about how Antarctic ecosystems and sea ice …
Urgent call for more Southern Ocean research
18 August, 2023
Today, hundreds of international scientists are sounding a clarion call for urgent expansion of Southern Ocean research in the emerging climate crisis. 300 scientists from 25 nations have been meeting …
Deep ocean waters in Antarctica are shrinking and warming
12 June, 2023
Antarctic Bottom Water is the coldest, densest water mass on the planet and plays a pivotal role in regulating the ocean’s ability to store heat and capture carbon. In a …
Underwater tsunamis created by glacier calving
23 November, 2022
Scientists on a research vessel in Antarctica watched the front of a glacier disintegrate and their measurements ‘went off the scale’. As well as witnessing disruptions on the ocean surface, …
New map of Southern Ocean floor
10 June, 2022
A new map of the seafloor of the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica provides the most accurate representation of this vast area to date. An international team of scientists, including several …
New polar ship makes London debut
28 October, 2021
RRS Sir David Attenborough visits London as pre-COP event ahead of first mission to Antarctica. The UK’s new polar research ship is making its London debut in Greenwich (Thursday 28 October …
UK and Australian new polar research ships rendezvous on sea trials
20 July, 2021
The UK and Australia’s two new polar research ships get together off the coast of Falmouth during sea trials.
RRS Sir David Attenborough getting ready for next phase of sea trials
30 June, 2021
The RRS Sir David Attenborough (SDA) is getting ready for its next round of sea trials. This is an important part of the preparations for the ship’s first Antarctic mission. The …
British Antarctic Survey partners with The Good Business Festival Youth Programme
28 May, 2021
This summer, British Antarctic Survey (BAS) will be an official partner for the Good Business Festival youth programme in the Liverpool City Region. BAS already has an important connection with the area – Britain’s new polar ship, RRS Sir David Attenborough …
Giant iceberg mission begins
2 February, 2021
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 …