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
Diversity in UK Polar Science Initiative
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office helping increasing representation of people from under-represented groups engaged in Polar Science.
Polar View
Polar View delivers information about sea ice direct to ships operating in the Southern Ocean.
EU-PolarNet
A strategic framework to connect science and society
ABSCISSA Arctic Sea-Ice-Zone Blowing Snow
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
ESA IAP ArcticSat project
Situational awareness in the Arctic
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 …Aerosol-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 a science/art project in development at NERC’s British Antarctic Survey (BAS). It visualises science data (in its widest definition), to create stunning and thought-provoking artworks, using real Antarctic …
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 …Archaeal intact polar lipids in polar waters: a comparison between the Amundsen and Scotia seas
11 June, 2021 by Claire Allen, Elaine Mawbey, Povl Abrahamsen, Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, James Smith, Victoria Peck
The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) is one of the largest potential sources of future sea-level rise, with glaciers draining the WAIS thinning at an accelerating rate over the past…
Comparing glacial‐geological evidence and model simulations of ice sheet change since the last glacial period in the Amundsen Sea sector of Antarctica
11 June, 2021 by Joanne Johnson, Stephen Roberts
Since the Last Glacial Maximum ∼20,000 years ago, the Antarctic Ice Sheet has undergone extensive changes, resulting in a much smaller present‐day configuration. Improving our understanding of basic physical processes…Statistical optimisation and kinetic studies of molybdenum reduction using a psychrotolerant marine bacteria isolated from Antarctica
11 June, 2021 by Peter Convey
The extensive industrial use of the heavy metal molybdenum (Mo) has led to an emerging global pollution with its traces that can even be found in Antarctica. In response, a…Remote but not isolated – microplastics and mesoplastics present in the sub-surface waters of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago
11 June, 2021 by Clara Manno, Kirstie Jones-Williams, Victoria Peck
As the remote Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA) becomes increasingly connected to the rest of the world, there is an impetus to monitor the possible impact of this connectivity. The potential…The largest moss carpet transplant in Antarctica and its bryosphere cryptic biodiversity.
11 June, 2021 by Peter Convey
As part of the reconstruction of the Brazilian Antarctic Station on King George Island, three areas of moss carpet were transplanted to minimize the impact of the new facilities on…
Developing resilience to climate change impacts in Antarctica: an evaluation of Antarctic Treaty System protected area policy
5 June, 2021 by John Turner, Kevin Hughes, Peter Convey
Antarctica is increasingly vulnerable to climate change impacts, with the continent predicted to warm by ∼4 °C by 2100 under a ‘business as usual’ greenhouse gas emission scenario. Simultaneously, human…
Freshening increases the susceptibility to heat stress in intertidal mussels (Mytilus edulis) from the Arctic
4 June, 2021 by Jakob Thyrring
1. Temperatures in the Arctic are increasing at a faster pace than at lower latitudes resulting in range expansion of boreal species. In Greenland, the warming also drives accelerating melt…Oil bioremediation in the marine environment of Antarctica: A review and bibliometric keyword cluster analysis
3 June, 2021 by Peter Convey
Hydrocarbon pollution is widespread around the globe and, even in the remoteness of Antarctica, the impacts of hydrocarbons from anthropogenic sources are still apparent. Antarctica’s chronically cold temperatures and other…
Can Antarctica’s shallow zoobenthos ‘bounce back’ from iceberg scouring impacts driven by climate change?
3 June, 2021 by David Barnes, Lloyd Peck, Nadescha Zwerschke, Simon Morley
All coastal systems experience disturbances and many across the planet are under unprecedented threat from an intensification of a variety of stressors. The West Antarctic Peninsula is a hotspot of…Statistical optimisation of diesel biodegradation at low temperatures by an Antarctic marine bacterial consortium isolated from non-contaminated seawater
3 June, 2021 by Peter Convey
Hydrocarbon pollution is widespread around the globe and, even in the remoteness of Antarctica, the impacts of hydrocarbons from anthropogenic sources are still apparent. Antarctica’s chronically cold temperatures and other…Fine hyphal coils in the liverwort Cephaloziella varians increase in frequency in response to experimental warming in maritime Antarctica
2 June, 2021 by Kevin Newsham
Previous studies have shown changes to the frequencies of hyphal coils and other fungal structures in leafy liverwort tissues across latitudinal transects through Antarctica. Although suggestive of a role of…Growth optimisation and kinetic profiling of diesel biodegradation by a cold‒adapted microbial consortium isolated from Trinity Peninsula, Antarctica
2 June, 2021 by Peter Convey
Pollution associated with petrogenic hydrocarbons is increasing in Antarctica due to a combination of increasing human activity and the continent’s unforgiving environmental conditions. The current study focuses on the ability…
Quantarctica, an integrated mapping environment for Antarctica, the Southern Ocean, and sub-Antarctic islands
1 June, 2021 by Huw Griffiths
Quantarctica (https://www.npolar.no/quantarctica) is a geospatial data package, analysis environment, and visualization platform for the Antarctic Continent, Southern Ocean (>40oS), and sub-Antarctic islands. Quantarctica works with the free, cross-platform Geographical Information…Local- and large-scale drivers of variability in the coastal freshwater budget of the Western Antarctic Peninsula
1 June, 2021 by Hugh Venables, Alexander Brearley, Mark Barham, Michael Meredith
The west Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is a region of marked climatic variability, exhibiting strong changes in sea ice extent, retreat of most of its glaciers, and shifts in the amount…
International response under the Antarctic Treaty System to the establishment of a non-native fly in Antarctica
1 June, 2021 by Kevin Hughes, Peter Convey
Antarctica currently has few non-native species, compared to other regions of the planet, due to the continent’s isolation, extreme climatic conditions and the lack of habitat. However, human activity, particularly…
Inhomogeneity of the surface air temperature record from Halley, Antarctica
1 June, 2021 by Andrew Orr, Gareth Marshall, Hua Lu, Scott Hosking, John King, John Turner, Steve Colwell, Tony Phillips
Commencing in 1956, observations made at Halley Research Station, Antarctica provide one of the longest continuous series of near-surface temperature observations from the Antarctic continent. Since few other records of…Read more on Inhomogeneity of the surface air temperature record from Halley, Antarctica
Antarctic ecosystems in transition – life between stresses and opportunities
1 June, 2021 by Huw Griffiths, Lloyd Peck
Important findings from the second decade of the 21st century on the impact of environmental change on biological processes in the Antarctic were synthesised by 26 international experts. Ten key…Read more on Antarctic ecosystems in transition – life between stresses and opportunities
Drivers of abundance and spatial distribution in Southern Ocean peracarid Crustacea
1 June, 2021 by Huw Griffiths, Katrin Linse
The Southern Ocean (SO) continental shelf and deep sea are environments characterised by different benthic communities. Their structure and composition are driven and shaped by different variables: whilst on the…Read more on Drivers of abundance and spatial distribution in Southern Ocean peracarid Crustacea
Marine genetic resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction: Promoting marine scientific research and enabling equitable benefit sharing
31 May, 2021 by Katrin Linse
Growing human activity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) is driving increasing impacts on the biodiversity of this vast area of the ocean. As a result, the United Nations General…
