BAS-Arctic Working Group
Working Group purpose
The Arctic Working Group is a group of more than 60 BAS scientists and operations staff who are currently working in the Arctic or have aspirations to work there. The AWG was started in 2018 to bring together researchers in different fields to share their experiences of Arctic research, to enable new collaborations, and to maximise the potential output of this group by coordinating efforts and knowledge regarding Arctic projects, funding calls and logistics.
Terms of Reference
Content coming soon
Our priorities
Content coming soon
Arctic marine geophysics
This research focuses on investigating the glacial histories of Arctic ice sheets and ice caps using the marine geological record preserved on continental margins. By reconstructing past ice sheets, their …SDOO
Abrupt warming episodes punctuate Greenland ice core records throughout the last glacial period. These events were first identified in two Greenland stable water isotope records (Dansgaard et al., 1993), and …
Climate and Ice during the Last Interglacial
During the Last Interglacial (129-116 thousand years ago, ka) CO2 and global temperature were both higher than they were before human industrialisation. By examining Last Interglacial climate, we thus gain …
TEA-COSI
TEA_COSI assesses Arctic Sea-ice which has an important impact on currents and ocean circulations around the globe
UKESM-BAS
Reliable projections of the Earth’s climate are at the heart of scientific support for international efforts to address global change. There is increasing recognition that reliable projections require that physical …
ESA IAP ArcticSat project
Situational awareness in the ArcticAerosol-Cloud and Climate interations in the Arctic
Developing a better understanding of cloud and aerosol processes in the Arctic in order to improve climate models.
ICE-ARC
physicists, chemists, biologists, economists, and sociologists from 21 institutes in 11 countries across Europe assess the rapid retreat and collapse of Arctic sea-ice cover
SIOS
Svalbard Integrated Earth Observing System (SIOS) is an international infrastructure project. There are 26 partners from Europe and Asia involved. The essential objective is to establish better coordinated services for …
SEANA
Global shipping is undergoing significant changes. In January 2020 the maximum sulphur emission by ships in international waters will reduce from 3.5% to 0.5% by mass, as a result of …
Data As Art
DATA AS ART is an ongoing science & art project in development at NERC’s British Antarctic Survey (BAS). It visualises science data (in its widest definition), to create stunning and …
ICEMAR
The EC-funded ICEMAR project is a GMES pilot service delivering sea ice information products directly to ships navigating through sea ice in the Arctic.
EISCAT Science Support
The EISCAT science support group is a collaboration between the British Antarctic Survey and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, funded via the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) EISCAT, the European …Iceland Greenland seas Project
PI: Ian Renfrew (University of East Anglia) CO-I’s: Tom Bracegirdle, Tom Lachlan-Cope, Alexandra Weiss PDRA’s: Andrew Elvidge (University of East Anglia), James Pope NERC Grant: NE/N009924/1 Project Partners: Robert Pickart …
ACSIS
Major changes are occurring across the North Atlantic climate system: in the ocean and atmosphere temperatures and circulation, in sea ice thickness and extent, and in key atmospheric constituents such …
Britain’s Arctic Research Station celebrates 30 years of science and monitoring climate change
28 September, 2021
The Arctic Station in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard in Norway, the UK’s permanent Arctic research facility, celebrates its 30 years anniversary this week (Tuesday 28 September) as it continues to undertake critical …
Using Predicted Patterns of 3D Prey Distribution to Map King Penguin Foraging Habitat
29 November, 2021 by Norman Ratcliffe, Ryan Saunders
King penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) are an iconic Southern Ocean species, but the prey distributions that underpin their at-sea foraging tracks and diving behaviour remain unclear. We conducted simultaneous acoustic surveys…Read more on Using Predicted Patterns of 3D Prey Distribution to Map King Penguin Foraging Habitat
Rice straw as a natural sorbent in a filter system as an approach to bioremediate diesel pollution
23 November, 2021 by Peter Convey
Rice straw, an agricultural waste product generated in huge quantities worldwide, is utilized to remediate diesel pollution as it possesses excellent characteristics as a natural sorbent. This study aimed to…Cetacean strandings from space: Challenges and opportunities of very high resolution satellites for the remote monitoring of cetacean mass strandings
18 November, 2021 by Hannah Cubaynes, Jennifer Jackson, Peter Fretwell
The study of cetacean strandings was globally recognised as a priority topic at the 2019 World Marine Mammal Conference, in recognition of its importance for understanding the threats to cetacean…Evidence of recent active volcanism in the Balleny Islands (Antarctica) from ice core records
17 November, 2021 by Claire Allen, Dieter Tetzner, Liz Thomas
Volcanism can play a key role in modulating climate, however, a lack of historical records has limited our comprehension of Antarctic volcanism and its role on the cryosphere. Remote sensing…A test of the win-stay–lose-shift foraging strategy and its adaptive value in albatrosses
16 November, 2021 by Anne-Sophie Bonnet-Lebrun, Richard Phillips
Foraging site selection and site fidelity can have implications for many ecological processes. The degree of site fidelity differs greatly not just between species but also within populations. Some of…Environmental harshness mediates the relationship between aboveground and belowground communities in Antarctica
16 November, 2021 by Peter Convey
Linkages between aboveground and belowground communities are a key but globally under-researched component of responses to environmental change. Given the logistical complications to studying these relationships, much of our knowledge…Mathematical modelling of canola oil biodegradation and optimisation of biosurfactant production by an Antarctic bacterial consortium using response surface methodology
14 November, 2021 by Peter Convey
An Antarctic soil bacterial consortium (reference BS14) was confirmed to biodegrade canola oil, and kinetic studies on this biodegradation were carried out. The purpose of this study was to examine…Shifting perspectives in polar research: Global lessons on the barriers and drivers for securing academic careers in natural sciences
11 November, 2021 by Huw Griffiths, Peter Convey
The polar regions provide valuable insights into the functioning of the Earth’s regulating systems. Conducting field research in such harsh and remote environments requires strong international cooperation, extended planning horizons,…Editorial: Effects of ice loss on marine biodiversity
11 November, 2021 by Katrin Linse
The Arctic and Antarctic oceans are undergoing changes in the extent of their sea-ice and ice-shelves (IPCC, in press). These have important impacts on the biodiversity, structure, and function of…Read more on Editorial: Effects of ice loss on marine biodiversity
Effects of competitive pressure and habitat heterogeneity on niche partitioning between Arctic and boreal congeners
11 November, 2021 by Anne-Sophie Bonnet-Lebrun, Derren Fox, Norman Ratcliffe
The rapidly changing climate in the Arctic is expected to have a major impact on the foraging ecology of seabirds, owing to changes in the distribution and abundance of their…Solar flare X‐ray impacts on long subionospheric VLF paths
11 November, 2021 by Mark Clilverd
Solar flares increase the electron number concentration in the day-time ionosphere, potentially affecting radiowave propagation over several frequency ranges. In this study, we use ionospheric observations to determine both peak…Read more on Solar flare X‐ray impacts on long subionospheric VLF paths
Large within, and between, species differences in marine cellular responses: Unpredictability in a changing environment
10 November, 2021 by Lloyd Peck, Martin Collins, Melody Clark
Predicting the impacts of altered environments on future biodiversity requires a detailed understanding of organism responses to change. To date, studies evaluating mechanisms underlying marine organism stress responses have largely…Cold comfort: Arctic seabirds find refugia from climate change and potential competition in marginal ice zones and fjords
9 November, 2021 by Anne-Sophie Bonnet-Lebrun, Derren Fox, Norman Ratcliffe, Tim Morley
Climate change alters species distributions by shifting their fundamental niche in space through time. Such effects may be exacerbated by increased inter-specific competition if climate alters species dominance where competitor…
The contribution of melt ponds to enhanced Arctic sea-ice melt during the Last Interglacial
9 November, 2021 by Louise Sime, Maria Vittoria Guarino
The Hadley Centre Global Environment Model version 3 (HadGEM3) is the first coupled climate model to simulate an ice-free Arctic during the Last Interglacial (LIG), 127 000 years ago. This simulation…Temperature impact on the influence of penguin-derived nutrients and mosses on non-native grass in a simulated polar ecosystem
8 November, 2021 by Peter Convey
Human activity and climate change are increasing the spread of species across the planet, threatening biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Invasion engineers, such as birds, facilitate plant growth through manuring of…How does the Southern Ocean palaeoenvironment during Marine Isotope Stage 5e compare to the modern?
5 November, 2021 by Claire Allen, Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, Louise Sime, Matthew Chadwick
Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e (130–116 ka) represents an important ‘process analogue’ for understanding the climatic feedbacks and responses likely active under future anthropogenic warming. Reconstructing the Southern Ocean (SO) palaeoenvironment…A statistical model of vorticity in the polar ionosphere and implications for extreme values
1 November, 2021 by Gareth Chisham, Mervyn Freeman
Measurements of vorticity in the Earth’s ionosphere enable the characterisation of turbulent structure in the ionospheric plasma flow and how it varies spatially in relation to large-scale magnetic field-aligned current…
Fairy ring disease affects epiphytic algal assemblages associated with the moss Sanionia uncinata (Hedw.) Loeske (Bryophyta) on King George Island, Antarctica
1 November, 2021 by Peter Convey
Since the nineteenth century, a ring-forming disease attacking Antarctic mosses has been reported. However, to date, only the effects on the mosses themselves are known. In this study, we used…Northward shift of the southern westerlies during the Antarctic Cold Reversal
1 November, 2021 by Dominic Hodgson
Inter-hemispheric asynchrony of climate change through the last deglaciation has been theoretically linked to latitudinal shifts in the southern westerlies via their influence over CO2 out-gassing from the Southern Ocean.…Read more on Northward shift of the southern westerlies during the Antarctic Cold Reversal
Anthropogenic debris in an Antarctic Specially Protected Area in the maritime Antarctic
1 November, 2021 by Peter Convey
Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs) provide the strongest environmental protection in Antarctica. However, they are not immune from anthropogenic pollution of marine or terrestrial origin. We document anthropogenic debris within…Read more on Anthropogenic debris in an Antarctic Specially Protected Area in the maritime Antarctic
