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.  

A view of a snow covered mountain
Icebergs at Ilulissat, West Greenland

 

Terms of Reference

Content coming soon

Our priorities

Content coming soon

Map of Arctic Working Group projects

kelgan

Kelly Hogan

Marine Geophysicist

henrge

Henry Burgess

Head of Arctic Office

janefr

Jane Francis

Director

nalm

Nicola Munro

Arctic Office Manager

jpw28

Jeremy Wilkinson

Sea Ice Physicist

clanno

Clara Manno

Pelagic Marine Ecologist

lsim

Louise Sime

IDP Science Leader IMP 3

biaper

Bianca Perren

Palaeoecologist

aismith

Aisling Smith

SDA Laboratory Manager

jacr

Alistair Crame

Science Leader

acrki

Amelie Kirchgaessner

Atmospheric Scientist

ahf

Andrew Fleming

Head of MAGIC

andkav

Andrew Kavanagh

Middle Atmosphere Vertical Coupling Analyst

calmes

Caroline Holmes

Polar Climate Scientist

chrdri

Christopher Aldridge

Operations Programme Manager

csall

Claire Allen

Palaeoceanographer

ghil

Guy Hillyard

Biological Sciences Lab Suite Manager

mior

Michael Thorne

Research Scientist

hjg

Huw Griffiths

Marine Biogeographer

maey

Markus Frey

Atmospheric and Glaciochemist DSL

pcon

Peter Convey

Terrestrial Ecologist IMP 3

sjro

Stephen Roberts

Quaternary Geologist

vlp

Victoria Peck

Palaeoceanographer

iadk

Iain Rudkin

Arctic Operations Manager

dwat

Dave Wattam

Head of Polar Operations

samhall

Samuel Hall

Research Scientist

notc

Norman Ratcliffe

Seabird Ecologist

gant

Geraint Tarling

Science Leader IMP 3

rdla

Robert Larter

Dep Science Leader of Palaeo Environments IMP 3

gaevey

Gaelle Veyssiere

Sea Ice Physicist

kne

Kevin Newsham

Terrestrial Ecologist

prell

Premdeep Gill

PhD Student

lith

Liz Thomas

PalaeoclimatologistIMP 3

nacas

Natasha Lucas

Physical Oceanographer

mmm

Michael Meredith

Science Leader IMP 2

smor

Simon Morley

Ecophysiologist

jakyrr57

Jakob Thyrring

Visiting Scientist

hanbay24

Hannah Cubaynes

Wildlife from Space Research Associate

macl

Mark Clilverd

Atmospheric Physicist IMP 3

jaas

James Smith

Sedimentologist

rcav

Rachel Cavanagh

Ecosystem Scientist

susdun

Sue Dunn

Station Support Administrator

mcr

Michael Rose

Engineering Advisor

emfi

Elaine Fitzcharles

Snr Lab Mgr and Micro Molecular Lab Suite Mgr

hlu

Hua Lu

Atmos Sci: Stratosphere/Troposhere Coupling

jacher53

Jacob Opher

PhD Student

tjbra

Thomas Bracegirdle

Atmosphere, Ice and Climate Dep Science Leader

gsto

Gabriele Stowasser

Marine Ecologist

gjma

Gareth Marshall

Senior Climatologist

epab

Povl Abrahamsen

Observational Oceanographer

lauger

Laura Gerrish

GIS and Mapping Specialist

mpf

Mervyn Freeman

Science Leader

gchi

Gareth Chisham

Space Weather Researcher

kl

Katrin Linse

Senior Biodiversity Biologist

kathen

Kate Hendry

Ocean Climate Scientist

xinyang55

Xin Yang

Atmospheric Chemistry Modeller

ABSCISSA

The source of sea-salt aerosols in the Polar Regions appears to be linked to sea ice surfaces, but exact details are unclear. Defining the sources is important given the critical …

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 …


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 …

EISCAT Science Support

The UK EISCAT support group (UKESG) is a collaboration between the British Antarctic Survey and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, funded via the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) EISCAT, the …

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 …

Increasing ship traffic in Inuit Nunangat

17 August, 2023

Researchers from British Antarctic Survey are heading to the Canadian Arctic this week to learn more about the impacts of increasing ship traffic in Inuit Nunangat. In recent years, climate …





Optimisation of diesel-degradation and growth kinetic modelling by Antarctic Janthinobacterium lividum

1 June, 2025 by Peter Convey

Fuel spills pose significant pollution threats to Antarctic terrestrial environments. Biological remediation offers a sustainable solution for restoring these polluted sites. Indigenous microorganisms capable of degrading diesel hydrocarbons at low…

Read more on Optimisation of diesel-degradation and growth kinetic modelling by Antarctic Janthinobacterium lividum

Sensitivity of near-surface marine winds and wind stress in coastal Antarctica to regional atmospheric model configuration

1 June, 2025 by Hua Lu, John King, Thomas Caton Harrison, Thomas Bracegirdle

Near-surface marine winds in coastal Antarctica have global importance, as they affect ocean circulation and sea-ice variability. We test the sensitivities of simulated near-surface winds and wind stress in coastal…

Read more on Sensitivity of near-surface marine winds and wind stress in coastal Antarctica to regional atmospheric model configuration

Fungal diversity present in ornithogenic soils of extreme equatorial Atlantic São Pedro and São Paulo archipelago using DNA metabarcoding

29 May, 2025 by Peter Convey

We evaluated the fungal diversity present in ornithogenically-influenced soils of the polyextreme Brazilian Archipelago of São Pedro and São Paulo, using a DNA metabarcoding approach. We detected 1,596,919 fungal DNA…

Read more on Fungal diversity present in ornithogenic soils of extreme equatorial Atlantic São Pedro and São Paulo archipelago using DNA metabarcoding

AI sea ice forecasts for Arctic conservation: A case study predicting the timing of caribou sea ice migrations

28 May, 2025 by Ellen Bowler, James Byrne, Scott Hosking, Jeremy Wilkinson, Martin Rogers, Rachel Cavanagh, Tom Andersson

Every autumn on the south coast of Victoria Island (Nunavut, Canada), endangered Dolphin and Union (DU) caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus x pearyi) wait for sea ice to form before continuing…

Read more on AI sea ice forecasts for Arctic conservation: A case study predicting the timing of caribou sea ice migrations

Competition drives the dispersal dynamics of two cup coral morphs in populations on the Powell Basin slopes, Weddell Sea, Antarctica

24 May, 2025 by Huw Griffiths, Rowan Whittle, Tasnuva Khan

Coexistence of ecologically similar taxa can contribute considerably to local biodiversity patterns. Deep water Southern Ocean benthic communities provide a unique setting to investigate coexistence mechanisms due to the relatively…

Read more on Competition drives the dispersal dynamics of two cup coral morphs in populations on the Powell Basin slopes, Weddell Sea, Antarctica

Change in iceberg calving behaviour preceded disintegration of North Sea ice shelves during the last deglaciation

24 April, 2025 by Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, James Kirkham, Kelly Hogan, Robert Larter

Understanding how regime shifts in iceberg calving behavior affect ice shelf stability remains a challenge for numerical models. This is an important question as we consider the fate of the…

Read more on Change in iceberg calving behaviour preceded disintegration of North Sea ice shelves during the last deglaciation