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 …
Annual and Seasonal Patterns of Burned Area Products in Arctic-Boreal North America and Russia for 2001-2020
5 September, 2024 by Andrew Clelland, Gareth Marshall
Boreal and Arctic regions have warmed up to four times quicker than the rest of the planet since the 1970s. As a result, boreal and tundra ecosystems are experiencing more…Population genetics of the deep-sea acorn barnacle Bathylasma hirsutum (Hoek, 1883) and the first report of its affiliation with a hydrothermal vent field
4 September, 2024 by Katrin Linse
Confined by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the European continental shelf, the deep-sea acorn barnacle Bathylasma hirsutum (Hoek, 1883) lives in the northeast Atlantic deep sea where it has been frequently…Detection and spread of high pathogenicity avian influenza virus H5N1 in the Antarctic Region
3 September, 2024 by Ashley Bennison, Elaine Fitzcharles, Freya Blockley, Marcia Blyth, Rosamund Hall
Until recent events, the Antarctic was the only major geographical region in which high pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV) had never previously been detected. Here we report on the detection…The impact of marine vertebrates on polar terrestrial invertebrate communities
1 September, 2024 by Peter Convey
Marine birds and pinnipeds which come to land to breed, rest and moult are widely known to fertilize adjacent terrestrial ecosystems, with cascading effects on vegetation and other trophic levels.…Read more on The impact of marine vertebrates on polar terrestrial invertebrate communities
Ornithogenic mercury input to soils of Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica
1 September, 2024 by Peter Convey
While long-range transport is believed to be the primary source of mercury (Hg) in Antarctica, it is known that seabirds transport organic matter, nutrients, and contaminants from the sea to…Read more on Ornithogenic mercury input to soils of Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica
Future Climate Change in the Thermosphere Under Varying Solar Activity Conditions
1 September, 2024 by Andrew Kavanagh, Ingrid Cnossen
Increasing carbon dioxide concentrations in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere are increasing radiative cooling in the upper atmosphere, leading to thermospheric contraction and decreased neutral mass densities at fixed altitudes.…Read more on Future Climate Change in the Thermosphere Under Varying Solar Activity Conditions
Community assembly among potential invasive plants in Antarctica shaped by life history characteristics and climate warming
30 August, 2024 by Peter Convey
Species arrival sequence in new habitats impacts plant community development. This ‘priority-effect’ is documented, but mechanisms by which early arriving plants dominate future communities are less clear, complicating our ability…Earth’s ambipolar electrostatic field and its role in ion escape to space
28 August, 2024 by Andrew Kavanagh
Cold plasma of ionospheric origin has recently been found to be a much larger contributor to the magnetosphere of Earth than expected. Numerous competing mechanisms have been postulated to drive…Read more on Earth’s ambipolar electrostatic field and its role in ion escape to space
Storylines of summer Arctic climate change constrained by Barents–Kara seas and Arctic tropospheric warming for climate risk assessment
26 August, 2024 by Andrew Orr, Gareth Marshall, Nadine Johnston, Ryan Williams
While climate models broadly agree on the changes expected to occur over the Arctic with global warming on a pan-Arctic scale (i.e. polar amplification, sea ice loss, and increased precipitation),…Biocontrol mechanisms of the Antarctic yeast Debaryomyces hansenii UFT8244 against post-harvest phytopathogenic fungi of strawberries
26 August, 2024 by Peter Convey
The use of yeasts has been explored as an efficient alternative to fungicide application in the treatment and prevention of post-harvest fruit deterioration. Here, we evaluated the biocontrol abilities of…SiCLING Ny-Ålesund Fieldwork Report. 15th – 29th July 2024
23 August, 2024 by Kate Hendry
The polar regions are experiencing the most rapid climate change observed on Earth. Marine ecosystems are already responding to – and amplifying – environmental change, with important implications for carbon…Read more on SiCLING Ny-Ålesund Fieldwork Report. 15th – 29th July 2024
The diverse and widespread Southern Ocean ophiuroid Amphiura belgicae should be considered a species complex
19 August, 2024 by Chester Sands, Peter Convey
Accurate knowledge of geographic ranges of species is essential for effective conservation management. Species with large distributions and good connectivity are presumed to be resilient to adverse localised/regional conditions, whereas…Assessment of plastic debris and biofouling in a specially protected area of the Antarctic Peninsula region
19 August, 2024 by Clara Manno
The aim of this paper is to characterize the plastic and to study a potential relationship between plastic debris characteristics and the presence of fouling biota in an Antarctic Specially…Cytogenetic features and associated microbiome of Belgica antarctica Jacobs, 1900 (Diptera: Chironomidae)
16 August, 2024 by Peter Convey
Chironomids are widely used in genetic and ecological studies. However, the Antarctic endemic midge Belgica antarctica Jacobs, 1900 has received more limited attention to date. This species is extremely pertinent…Evaluating Auroral Forecasts Against Satellite Observations Under Different Levels of Geomagnetic Activity
15 August, 2024 by Gareth Chisham
The aurora and associated high energy particles and currents pose a space weather hazard to communication networks and ground-based infrastructure. Forecasting the location of the auroral oval forms an integral…Sediment trap illustrates taxon-specific seasonal signals in Southern Ocean zooplankton
7 August, 2024 by Clara Manno, Florence Atherden
Southern Ocean zooplankton provide globally significant ecosystem services through their role in carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling and food webs. However, the remote and extreme nature of the Southern Ocean creates…Read more on Sediment trap illustrates taxon-specific seasonal signals in Southern Ocean zooplankton
Wind Forcing Controls on Antarctic Bottom Water Export from the Weddell Sea via Bottom Boundary Layer Processes
6 August, 2024 by Christopher Auckland, Povl Abrahamsen, Michael Meredith
The Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) exported from the Weddell Sea has experienced warming and contraction in the past 30 yrs. Superposed on this decadal trend is substantial annual and interannual…A satellite-derived baseline of photosynthetic life across Antarctica
6 August, 2024 by Joanne Johnson, Peter Convey, Peter Fretwell
Terrestrial vegetation communities across Antarctica are characteristically sparse, presenting a challenge for mapping their occurrence using remote sensing at the continent scale. At present there is no continent-wide baseline record…Read more on A satellite-derived baseline of photosynthetic life across Antarctica
Historical Southern Hemisphere biomass burning variability inferred from ice core carbon monoxide records
5 August, 2024 by Diana Vladimirova, Dieter Tetzner, Ivo Strawson, Jack Humby, Liz Thomas, Thomas Bauska
Biomass burning plays an important role in climate-forcing and atmospheric chemistry. The drivers of fire activity over the past two centuries, however, are hotly debated and fueled by poor constraints…
