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
Map of Arctic Working Group projects
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 Arctic
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 …
Poet Laureate visits UK Arctic Research Station
14 July, 2023
The UK Poet Laureate Simon Armitage CBE has travelled to the UK Arctic Research Station, where he will create new works inspired by the visit. While hosted at the UK …
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 …
BAS celebrates International Day of Women and Girls in Science
11 February, 2022 by Melody Clark
Today, 11 February, is International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a global initiative led by UNESCO and UN-Women. To celebrate, we have asked some of our female staff …
Impact of glacial meltwater on phytoplankton biomass along the Western Antarctic Peninsula
12 June, 2025 by Michael Meredith
The Western Antarctic Peninsula is undergoing rapid environmental change. Regional warming is causing increased glacial meltwater discharge, but the ecological impact of this meltwater over large spatiotemporal scales is not…Heat limits scale with metabolism in ectothermic animals
3 June, 2025 by Simon Morley
1. Ectotherms given time to acclimate to warmer environments, habitats or experimental treatments tend to tolerate higher maximum temperatures, but only slightly higher. This means warmer acclimated organisms live closer…Read more on Heat limits scale with metabolism in ectothermic animals
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…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…Implementing Geomagnetically Induced Currents Mitigation During the May 2024 “Gannon” G5 Storm: Research Informed Response by the New Zealand Power Network
1 June, 2025 by Aaron Hendry, Mark Clilverd
In early May 2024 ∼6 Coronal Mass Ejections were launched toward the Earth in shortsuccession. This triggered the G5 “Gannon” geomagnetic storm lasting from ∼17 UT on 10 May 2024…Antarctic glaciers export carbon-stabilised iron(II)-rich particles to the surface Southern Ocean
30 May, 2025 by Michael Meredith, Rhiannon Jones
Iron is an essential micronutrient for phytoplankton and plays an integral role in the marine carbon cycle. The supply and bioavailability of iron are therefore important modulators of climate over…Potential for microbial plastic degradation via assimilation of non-carbon moieties in additives
30 May, 2025 by Peter Convey
Additives such as stabilizers, plasticizers, and fillers are commonly used in relatively small amounts to enhance the structure of plastics. Notably, some of these additives, including moieties of compounds containing…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…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…Contrasting Effects of Little Auk Colonies on Potentially Toxic and Rare Earth Elements in Arctic Soils
24 May, 2025 by Peter Convey
Seabirds like little auks (Alle alle) transfer chemical elements to terrestrial environments through faeces and other biological material, enriching Arctic soils with nutrients, organic matter, and marine-derived contaminants. We quantified…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…Methane Emissions and Dynamics in the Weddell and Scotia Seas
23 May, 2025 by Anna Jones, Evelyn Workman, Freya Squires, Katrin Linse
The Southern Ocean's role in the global methane (CH4) cycle remains uncertain due to limited measurement data from this remote region. It is unclear if the Southern Ocean acts as…Read more on Methane Emissions and Dynamics in the Weddell and Scotia Seas
Implementing an Operational Cloud‐Based Now‐ and Forecasting System for Space Weather Ground Effects in the UK
15 May, 2025 by Mervyn Freeman
The enhanced variation of the magnetic field during severe to extreme geomagnetic storms induces a large geoelectric field in the subsurface. Grounded infrastructure can be susceptible to geomagnetically induced currents…Polar Ocean Mixing by Internal Tsunamis (POLOMINTS)
14 May, 2025 by Andrew Fleming, Dave Munday, Povl Abrahamsen, Emma Young, Hugh Venables, Alexander Brearley, Kate Hendry, Michael Meredith
Mixing of the ocean around Antarctica is a key process that exerts influences over large scales and in multiple ways. By redistributing heat in the ocean, it exerts strong influences…Read more on Polar Ocean Mixing by Internal Tsunamis (POLOMINTS)
Polar ectotherms more vulnerable to warming than expected
6 May, 2025 by Peter Convey
Polar regions are heavily impacted by climate change. Yet, vulnerability assessments suggest little concern about heat-related challenges for polar terrestrial ectotherms. These conclusions are based, however, on assumptions and extrapolation…Read more on Polar ectotherms more vulnerable to warming than expected
Surveying the deep: A review of computer vision in the benthos
1 May, 2025 by Cameron Trotter, Huw Griffiths, Rowan Whittle
The analysis of image data for benthic biodiversity monitoring is now commonplace within the domain of marine ecology. Whilst advances in imaging technologies have allowed for the collection of vast…Read more on Surveying the deep: A review of computer vision in the benthos
Separating DP1 and DP2 Current Pattern Contributions to Substorm‐Like Intensifications in SML
26 April, 2025 by Mervyn Freeman
Substorms have been identified from negative bays in the AL/SML index, which traces the minimum northward ground magnetic deflection at auroral latitudes, produced by enhancements of the westward electrojet. For…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…Insights into silicon cycling from ice sheet to coastal ocean from isotope geochemistry
19 April, 2025 by Kate Hendry, Rhiannon Jones
The polar regions are biologically productive and play a critical role in regional and global biogeochemical cycling. A key nutrient is dissolved silicon, required for the growth of siliceous phytoplankton,…Read more on Insights into silicon cycling from ice sheet to coastal ocean from isotope geochemistry
