British Antarctic Survey

Remember A-68A? The giant iceberg that calved off the Larsen Ice Shelf in 2017 and made the 4000km journey across the Southern Ocean until it reached South Georgia, where it broke up and melted in 2021? Well researchers have just published the results of the first in-situ ocean measurements taken during the collapse of a giant iceberg in the sub-Antarctic. Its hard to study these enormous bergs because science expeditions are planned years in advance, with tight schedules - not leaving much opportunity to sample icebergs that happen to be in the area. But in 2021 the stars aligned and National Oceanography Centre ship, the James Cook, was nearby and researchers had an unmissable opportunity to collect invaluable data about how melting icebergs affect the local environment. The team discovered that as A-68A melted, the layers of water within the ocean were restructured, with the melted freshwater at the surface forcing down the underlying layers and pushing down tiny particles and phytoplankton and changing where nutrients and micronutrients are in the water column. Why does this matter? Because climate models predict that icebergs may calve more frequently from Antarctic ice sheets in the future, and we need to know what effect they have on sensitive ocean ecosystems. Read the full story on the BAS website 👇 https://ow.ly/zQoe50SE7Cg 📸Povl Abrahamsen, MODIS from NASA Worldview Snapshots Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands

Ice Cold Katy is headed to The Royal International Air Tattoo this weekend 🛩️ Our much-loved Twin Otter will be bedecked in skis and science kit, and our team will be on hand to answer all your questions about airborne science in one of the most remote locations on the planet. We're attending as part of the 'Pushing the Boundaries in Air & Space' theme - come and find us in the static display area (we're pretty hard to miss!) #RIAT2024 #RIAT24 #RIAT

The RRS Sir David Attenborough is about to depart. Destination: Greenland. The ship is embarking on a six-week mission – its first to the Arctic - to study Greenland’s glaciers and life in the coastal waters around the edge of the world’s largest island. Why? To learn more about the region’s rapidly decaying ice sheet and how it’s impacting our ocean and climate. It’s a massive undertaking, involving more than 40 people who will work around-the-clock to collect samples from the seafloor, ocean and rocks on land. And if that wasn't cool enough, the mission also involves field camps, helicopters and underwater robots! https://ow.ly/vFru50SBm48

Fixing skidoos, building bespoke parts for remotely operated vehicles (Deborah) and a bit of digging - all in a day's work for Matthew McPherson, Vehicle Mechanic at Rothera. Top igloo builder McPherson talks to Nadia about his love of snow, the power of the wind, and how figuring things out and thinking outside the box is a key skill for anyone in Antarctica. 🔍 Search for the ICEWORLD podcast on your preferred app. #vehiclemechanic #mechanic #mechaniclife #Antarctica #podcast #Iceworld 📸Sam Hunt

“We need to understand what’s going on in Antarctica, so that we can make good decisions about how to preserve our climate.” Anna Jones, (former) Director of Science at British Antarctic Survey, Elen Jones, Antarctic Infrastructure Modernisation Programme (AIMP) Director, and David Brand, Senior Project Manager for Rothera Modernisation talk us through the importance of the work being conducted in Antarctica, as well as the progress that has been made this season. Hear from the team: https://lnkd.in/gMk_Nm5r #Antarctica #ClimateChange #Sustainability

What have we achieved during this Antarctic Infrastructure Modernisation Programme season? ☑️ A new resurfaced runway, and new runway lighting. ☑️ With external work completed, internal works inside our Discovery Building have commenced. ☑️ Installation of heat recovery generators. ☑️ Fixing partitioning walls, including completion of the operations tower and boarding. And these are just a few of the milestones! Despite the challenges in the hard weather conditions and lack of sunlight due to the Antarctica winter, the teams on the ground worked tirelessly to ensure these changes were made. Thank you for your efforts and hard work and congratulations on such a successful season. BAM UK & Ireland, Ramboll, Sweco, Hugh Broughton Architects Read our end of season wrap up: https://lnkd.in/gTrQDC-Y

Professor Dame Jane Francis is the Society’s new President. We spoke with her about her career and current role as Director of the British Antarctic Survey, what the Society means to her, and what she hopes to achieve during her four-year tenure as our President. 🗣️ Here's an excerpt from our conversation with her: “I have been lucky enough to have gained experience from many activities related to the Society – research and teaching in geoscience, exploration of remote and fascinating landscapes, and advocacy for understanding our changing world. I hope I can support the Society with this experience in the next four years.” 👉 Read the full write-up here: https://lnkd.in/eBGN44et 📷: Lucy Pope

It's summer 2022, and an area of East Antarctica is over 38.5°C warmer than it should be. The mercury has risen to a chilly -10°C... but it should be -50°C. The increase in extreme weather events worldwide are one of the sharpest impacts of our changing climate - from heatwaves to extreme rainfall. But what happens when extreme weather hits the continent of extremes - Antarctica? In the latest issue of Beyond the Ice, BAS climate scientists Dr Louise Sime and Dr Tom Bracegirdle are here with your briefing on understanding extreme weather events ⬇ #thoughtleadership #climatescience #extremeweather #extremerainfall #antarctica #climatechange

We're so pleased that our friends at the Netherlands Polar Programme have announced five new science projects, in collaboration with scientists at British Antarctic Survey! The new Dutch-British projects span a real range of polar science topics: from ice shelf melting, to the role of plankton for climate gases; from the history of the global climate, to the impact of invasive animal species. Dutch polar researchers have been working with BAS for decades, and operate own Dirck Gerritsz research laboratory at Rothera Research Station in Antarctica. Learn more about the five funded projects ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/etgj-D5X NWO (Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek) #internationalcollaboration #climatescience #sciencefunding #antarctica

Unique geological samples ➕ sophisticated modelling 🟰 surprising insights into the dawn of the Antarctic ice sheets We already know that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is melting much faster than was previously thought. Now, scientists have found a possible reason... The glaciation of Antarctica began around 34 million years ago but scientists discovered that the ice sheet was initially confined to East Antarctica. It took another 7 million years before the ice began to advance towards the West Antarctic coast. For much of this time, West Antarctica was actually covered by a dense, broadleaf forest with a cool to temperate climate, preventing an ice sheet from forming. So why does this matter? Well, the researchers' findings suggest that the East and West Antarctic ice sheets respond differently to changing climates, and the West Antarctic Ice Sheet formed under much cooler conditions than previously thought. And this means that even a slight warming is enough to cause the ice in the West Antarctic to melt again - and this is what we're seeing right now. For the full story, check out our website: https://lnkd.in/eN7BN-bR 📸M Arvelo, R Larter, T Ronge