British Antarctic Survey 🐧
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British Antarctic Survey 🐧
@bas.ac.uk
We're the UK's polar research institute 👋 Uncovering the secrets of Earth's frozen places, doing science for a sustainable planet.

Looking for a seriously remote job? https://bas.ac.uk/vacancies
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Hello! 👋

We're the UK's polar research institute. We do climate and ecosystems science in Earth's frozen places, because changes there affect all of us.

As we say at British Antarctic Survey: what happens in Antarctica doesn't stay in Antarctica ⬇️
Watch BAS scientist Ellen Bowler in Steve Backshall's Royal Arctic Challenge! 🗺️

She discusses the IceNet project which uses AI to predict sea ice 3 months ahead, helping protect caribou migration routes from ships. 🦌

📺 watch here: https://tinyurl.com/yk7y82hs
January 10, 2026 at 9:00 AM
Congrats to Captain Will Whatley, Master of the RRS Sir David Attenborough, who has been awarded the Polar Medal! 🎖️

Will joined British Antarctic Survey in 2008 as 3rd Officer at the age of 19. He worked his way up, and did his first Antarctic season as Captain back in 2015.
January 9, 2026 at 11:00 AM
Logo lift off! 🇦🇶

This is the moment we branded up the new Discovery Building. It's our new science and operations building at Rothera Research Station, Antarctica.

Discovery replaces several buildings which faithfully stood against elements during the 50 years of Rothera's history.

📸 Eliot Perez
December 30, 2025 at 5:11 PM
We’re back again with more of our 2025 highlights!

Ozone hole discovery anniversary – We marked 40 years since BAS scientists Joe Farman, Brian Gardiner and Jon Shanklin discovered the ozone hole in 1985. Their findings led to the Montreal Protocol which prevented an additional 2.5°C of warming.
December 29, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Step into the polar regions this winter at Xscape Milton Keynes ❄️

From now until 11 January, families can explore Arctic Adventure – an immersive experience where snow, ice and imagination collide.

🎟️ Book tickets: https://mymk.cc/events/the-arctic-adventure
December 28, 2025 at 9:00 AM
2025 has been a busy old time for British  Antarctic  Survey. Let’s take a look back on some of the best bits:

Extreme logistics – The RRS Sir David Attenborough completed an epic operation 600km from the nearest station, collecting kit and establishing logistics ‘hubs’ in the middle of nowhere!
December 27, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Looking for something to listen to while you prep your Christmas dinner? 🧑‍🍳

Tune in to Lloyd Peck, marine physiologist at British Antarctic Survey, on the Christmas special of The Infinite Monkey Cage.

🎧Listen here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00snr0w
December 25, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Meet Chef Ash and Station Support Assistant Katie 🎄

They're the team behind Christmas dinner at Halley Research Station!

We asked them what's on the menu? 🍽️ What's the best bit of a Christmas dinner? 🥧 And what does the big day actually look like in Antarctica? ⛷️
December 24, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Thousands of miles from home, but the festive spirit is exactly the same! 🎄Here's how people celebrate Christmas on the RRS Sir David Attenborough and at our research stations down south ☃️
December 23, 2025 at 10:00 AM
A white Christmas at the bottom of the world, what could be more festive? ❄️

Station Doctor, Dani Hawarden & Station Leader, Dan McKenzie, discuss festive traditions at Halley Research Station in this special Christmas episode of Iceworld.

🎧 Listen on your preferred podcast app.
December 22, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Baby fish vs. ocean currents: the ultimate survival challenge 🐟


New research by Dr Joanna Zanker reveals how young mackerel icefish around South Georgia are at the mercy of changing waters...

🧵 1/5
December 5, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Congratulations, a superb win 👏A great image and a powerful reminder of the important science taking place in an extreme environment! ❄️🌎📸
Delighted that one of my Antarctic winter photos has won the 2025 Royal Society Photography Competition, Earth Science & Climatology category.

Captured during polar-night surveys of ocean conditions near Antarctic Peninsula glaciers.

royalsociety.org/journals/pub...
December 5, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Everyone loves a smart ride share! 🤝

We are thrilled to partner with the Norwegian Polar Institute + Alfred Wegner Institute on logistics.

An NPI operated ship will resupply our Halley VI ice shelf research station for the next 10 years - as we share costs, carbon impact, and ice shelf expertise.
November 29, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Signy Research Station is open for the season! 🎉

This team in the South Orkney Islands research seabirds and terrestrial ecology.

They were dropped off by RRS Sir David Attenborough - along with a band of helpers who cleared the snow, hauled in cargo, and helped bring power and water online 💙
November 25, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Ever wondered what it takes to stay warm in Antarctica? 🧣🧤

In this episode of Iceworld, host Nadia Frontier talks to Emma Pearce about exactly that.

Bonus points if you can tell us how many layers you heard Emma mention!
November 24, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Reposted by British Antarctic Survey 🐧
Could you be our next walrus detective? 🕵

Satellite imagery has helped scientists discover a new walrus haul-out site. And it's sparked a call for your help! 📢

To safeguard their future, we urgently need to understand how they’re affected by the climate crisis.👇
www.wwf.org.uk/learn/walrus...
November 24, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Climate scientist Michelle Maclennan is interviewed on The Naked Scientists podcast 🎙️

From heatwaves to intense storms, Michelle explains how the continent's 'memory' of extreme events means future impacts are likely to be amplified by past damage.

Listen now: https://tinyurl.com/4e4772yb
November 22, 2025 at 9:30 AM
As it's breeding time for giant petrels on Bird Island, meet the oldest female giant petrel on the island ⬇️

She hatched there in 1989, making her an impressive 36 years old.

This season, she decided to build her nest next to the path, where the team greet her every day as they go past 🪶
November 21, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Postcard from Antarctica: our Discovery Building at Rothera Research Station is taking shape 📬- a new scientific support and operations facility.

All part of modernising our largest research station for the future of polar science 🧊

Image credit: BAM 📷

Read more: www.bas.ac.uk/media-post/2...
November 20, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Happy Polar Pride Day! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Today is a special day in the international polar science and operations community when we celebrate the contributions of our LGBTQ+ colleagues.

Polar science is the ultimate teamwork environment - and making sure everyone feels included and welcome is crucial.
November 18, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Halley Research Station is open for business!

After a stop at Neumayer, serenaded with a horn farewell, the team reached Halley - only to find one door had reinvented itself as a wall… a wall of snow.

They’re melting it in tea urns for water and slowly getting the station ready for the season.
November 14, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Congratulations Dr Kaitlin Naughten on receiving the EGU Arne Richter Award for Outstanding Early Career Scientists!

Her work has transformed understanding of Antarctic ice-shelf melt and future sea-level rise.

She says, “It was a lovely surprise to hear that I'd won this prestigious award."
November 14, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Bad news in from South Georgia - the population of breeding female elephant seals has nearly halved following a bird flu outbreak on the sub-Antarctic island.

Here's what we know so far...

📸 Connor Bamford
November 14, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Will our mountains lose their snow and ice?

And does it matter if they do?

These questions are answered by BAS glaciologist Dr Hamish Pritchard in a major new UNESCO report for the UN International Year of Glaciers' Preservation.

Read the report here: https://ow.ly/TFTH50XptZc
November 10, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Weekend goals: be as chilled out as this seal mum while handling breakfast time with the kids ☕

Marine scientists Katie Wells and Rhi Nichol took a moment to capture this serene scene while monitoring elephant seals in South Georgia, near Antarctica.

#WeekendMood
November 8, 2025 at 8:30 AM