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Annual Report 2009-2010

For more information, please visit our website: www.antarctica.ac.uki

Images: Cover: BAS scientists onboard Royal Research Ship James Clark Ross head south across the Bellingshausen Sea to study the Pine Island Glacier region of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, an area of significant importance in the understanding of future global sea-level rise. Above: Exploring a crevasse during field training near Rothera Research Station, Adelaide Island, Antarctica.

Contents

Director’s introduction

SCIENCE

Chemistry and Past Climate

Climate

Ecosystems

Environmental Change and Evolution

IceSheets

Polar Oceans

EXPERTISE

Operations and engineering

Recruitment and career development

Protecting the environment

Health and safety

IMPACT

Leadership in polar affairs

Collaborations

Science in society

Facts and figures 2009-2010

British Antarctic Survey offices and research stations

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Our vision

By 2020 the British Antarctic Survey will be recognised as a world-leading centre for polar research and expertise, addressing issues of global importance.

Our mission

To deliver a world-class programme of scientific research, national capability and long-term observations, concentrating on the regional and global role of polar processes in the Earth System.

Through our science and impact, sustain for the UK an active and influential Antarctic regional presence, and a leadership role in Antarctic affairs.

British Antarctic Survey is a wholly-owned component of the UK Natural Environment Research Council.


Director’s introduction

As always, it is a great pleasure to introduce the British Antarctic Survey’s Annual Report for 2009-2010.The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is a wholly-owned component of the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). NERC supports research and training across all the environmental sciences and in all environments – BAS is the focus for UK research in the Antarctic. We fulfil this role primarily by carrying out research directly through our science programmes, often collaborating with UK and international researchers, and by providing expertise and support for other researchers, such as UK university scientists.

BAS also has a second role – to provide a UK presence in the Antarctic and leadership in Antarctic affairs. We do this through our world-leading science and advice, which we provide to the UK Government and the Overseas Territories to help determine policy. We have been doing this since the earliest days of BAS and it continues to be a key component of our activities.

During the year we reviewed and renewed BAS’s vision and mission. A significant development for us was a broadening of our vision to include the Arctic. We now explicitly identify ‘polar’ in our vision. This reflects the role of the Arctic in Earth System Science and also the increased threat to the region from climate change and commercialisation.

This new vision translates into a broadened mission, through which we can exploit our expertise and experience of working in the Antarctic for the benefit of UK polar science. BAS introduced a new science programme – Polar Science for Planet Earth – on 1st April 2009, some highlights of which follow. One of the features of BAS science of which we are particularly proud is its highly collaborative nature. For example, in 2009, 53% of BAS’s ISI peer-reviewed publications involved UK university and research centre collaborators with 62% involving international collaborators. These statistics reveal the challenging nature of polar science, which cannot be carried out by one organisation alone.

I would like to thank all BAS staff who have contributed to yet another outstanding year of scientific activity, underpinned by world-leading support. I hope you enjoy reading about these achievements as much as I have.

Prof Nicholas [email protected]

UK Government, EU and International Policy

Knowledge Exchange

International Science Policye.g. Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change

National and International Collaborations

POLAR SCIENCE FOR PLANET EARTH

POLAROCEANS

ENVIRON-MENTAL

CHANGE &EVOLUTION

ECOSYSTEMS

CHEMISTRY& PAST

CLIMATE

ICESHEETS

CLIMATE

Images: Top: BAS Director, Professor Nicholas Owens. Bottom: The six science programmes that form Polar Science for Planet Earth, and their interactions with external activities.

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SCIENCE


The Earth’s climate system is highly integrated and no region acts independently. The polar regions are a particularly critical element of the climate system, and the Earth System as a whole.In the last 30 years, surface temperatures in areas of the Arctic and the Antarctic Peninsula region have risen by more than 2°C, whereas the global average temperature rise over the last century is about 0.8°C. What happens in the polar regions has global significance, and affects every person on the planet.

Polar Science for Planet Earth (PSPE) is the British Antarctic Survey’s science framework. It has been developed to address critical science issues in the polar regions, such as sea-level rise, the role of polar ecosystems and biodiversity, and the sustainable use of resources in the polar oceans. PSPE strongly supports the Natural Environment Research Council’s strategy ‘Next Generation Science for Planet Earth’. It also contributes to the UK’s major new environmental research programme ‘Living with Environmental Change’ which involves 22 UK partner organisations, spanning research councils, government and businesses that fund, undertake and use environmental research.

BAS has a long tradition of scientific research in Antarctica. Our strategy now includes the Arctic. Many of the characteristics of the Earth’s polar regions are the same – ice covered, 24-hour light and darkness in summer and winter, and sea ice that, amongst other things, helps to drive major ocean currents. However, there are also marked contrasts: one is land surrounded by ocean, the other is the exact opposite; the north has a resident population, the south does not; biodiversity on land is extremely rich in the north compared with the south, and the inverse is true in the marine environment. These differences can be used as a significant test of emerging theories and models. There is also much yet to be explored – land that lies beneath many kilometres of ice, life that may exist in sub-glacial lakes, mapping areas of the sea floor for the first time, and understanding the life that survives there.

PSPE consists of six inter-linked programmes whose outputs include high-quality research papers, typically over 250 per year in refereed journals. Our knowledge is also used to inform and influence government policies and the international science agenda.

All programmes adopt a multidisciplinary approach to understand better how various components of the Earth System operate. The pressing science questions are sufficiently large and complex that the best approach to addressing them is through strong national and international collaborations that bring essential skills and expertise to complement those at BAS. Each programme is underpinned by a strong commitment to long-term monitoring and survey – BAS scientists record data from the depths of the ocean to the very edge of space.

Not only are the PSPE programmes closely coupled but they are carefully integrated with BAS operations, logistics and engineering. This leads to a high degree of efficiency and effectiveness, making BAS the envy of many other polar operators.

Prof Alan RodgerBoard Member for Science [email protected]

Images: Top: An image of the Earth from space. Bottom: A glaciology field camp on Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica.

Technical terms: Bromine compounds: Any chemical compound containing bromine, a highly reactive element that depletes ozone when released into the atmosphere. Isotopes: Variations of the same element with different numbers of neutrons but the same number of protons (i.e. same atomic number, different atomic mass). Proxy: A variable from which data about another variable can be inferred. Troposphere: The lowest layer of the atmosphere, where most clouds are located and where most weather occurs. In the polar regions, it typically extends to about 8km above the surface.

Images: Top: Ozone concentration in the lower atmosphere during the Antarctic spring of 1987. The dark blue regions show periods of intense ozone depletion, in one case extending above 2km in altitude. Bottom: A scientist holding a slice of ice core. Trapped air bubbles form an archive of past atmosphere.


Chemistry and Past ClimateProgramme Leader: Dr Eric Wolff [email protected]

Introduction

To understand how the Earth and its climate will react to, mitigate, and amplify changes, we can observe the past and study the present – only then can we predict the future.Important processes in regulating the Earth System take place in or near the polar regions, and the best records for understanding the way the Earth has worked in the past – ice cores – are found there. The Chemistry and Past Climate programme concentrates on understanding climate changes on timescales from centuries up to a million years. To support this work, it also studies the chemistry of the present-day polar atmosphere.

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Storms and atmospheric chemistry

Ozone depletion events (ODEs) are astonishing phenomena, observed each spring in coastal polar regions. During an ODE, concentrations of ozone near the ground fall effectively to zero and remain so for several days. If ozone-depleted air reaches the upper troposphere (~8km altitude) it is likely to affect the amount of solar energy coming into and being radiated out of the atmosphere locally or regionally (the radiative balance). In addition, the dramatic loss of surface ozone is associated with emissions of bromine from the sea-ice zone, and the export of air rich in bromine is likely to affect atmospheric chemistry at lower latitudes. However, the mechanisms that drive ODEs are still not well understood. We have used measurements made at Halley Research Station to select occasions when ozone depletion is evident over 1km above the ground. Using charts of regional meteorology, we find that on every occasion the high-altitude depletion was preceded by a polar cyclone (rotating low pressure system). We also found that satellite measurements showing enhanced bromine compounds are associated with cyclonic events. Cyclonic systems therefore appear to be fundamental when considering the broader influence of ODEs. A better understanding of this process improves the accuracy of atmospheric models which are used to help predict future changes in the polar climate.Contact: Dr Anna Jones [email protected]

Just how warm were Antarctica’s past warm periods?

A study combining ice-core data and modelling suggests that Antarctica may have been warmer than previously thought during previous warm periods (interglacials). There are now three Antarctic ice-core records that show the climate of the last 340,000 years (using water isotopes as a proxy for temperature). Using an atmospheric model developed by the University of Bristol, we have shown that, for an idealised warming event, the temperature change across East Antarctica is rather uniform. This contrasts with the findings from the three ice core sites, which show differing isotopic changes. The simplest interpretation is that the isotopic difference between sites during interglacials is due to differences in the translation between temperature and isotopes at each location. In that case, it appears likely that the temperature at the last interglacial was at least 6ºC higher than today. Pinning down this temperature change is crucial, since we can use this period as a test bed for the effects (for example on the ice sheet) of increasing surface temperatures in the future.Contact: Dr Louise Sime [email protected]

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ClimateProgramme Leader: Dr John King [email protected]

Vostok – the ‘Pole of Cold’On 21st July 1983 the temperature at Vostok station, Antarctica, fell to -89.2ºC – the lowest temperature ever recorded at the surface of the Earth. BAS scientists have conducted the first detailed investigation into the causes of this record minimum, using observations from the station together with satellite imagery and data from weather forecast models. A number of factors contributed to the rapid drop in temperature. First, temperatures above the station were already at a near-record low. Second, a nearly-circular atmospheric flow persisted around the station for a week, isolating the region from warmer air masses intruding from lower latitudes. Third, surface wind speeds were low, so there was little mixing between cold surface air and warmer air aloft. Finally, the skies above Vostok remained clear of cloud for a week, promoting rapid loss of heat to space and cooling of the surface. The occurrence of each of these factors individually is not a rare event, however, their joint occurrence was exceptional. Understanding the processes that cause extreme cold events means we are better equipped to make predictions for how the planet might react to future changes in polar atmospheric climate.Contact: Prof John Turner [email protected]


Introduction

Predicting how the Earth’s climate may vary in response to natural or man-made changes is one of today’s greatest scientific challenges. Achieving this requires an understanding of the workings of the climate system, both in its component parts and in the ways that these interact. The Climate programme takes a holistic approach to the study of polar climates and their links with the broader climate system, with particular emphasis on the role of natural and human processes in driving climate variability and change. By quantifying the role of polar processes in controlling global climate, the programme will help reduce uncertainty in predictions of future climate change.

Solar footprints in the polar snow

A new study of the magnetic space storms that create the northern and southern lights may lead to a better understanding of natural temperature variations in the polar regions. BAS scientists, working with colleagues from Finland, the USA, Switzerland and New Zealand, have shown that large variations in surface temperatures across both poles occur during winters that experience a high number of magnetic storms. Storm-driven charged particles impacting the Earth’s upper atmosphere create chemicals (nitrogen oxides) that can destroy ozone in the upper atmosphere during the long polar winter. This natural chemical reaction causes changes in the structure of the atmosphere which appear to be redistributing some heat across the polar regions. The team found that the difference between high and low magnetic storm activity results in cooling and warming in surface temperature patterns of up to 4°C in the polar regions. As the frequency and intensity of magnetic storms depends on solar activity, the study demonstrates how natural solar variability can have a measurable influence on the Earth’s climate.Contact: Dr. Annika Seppälä [email protected]

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Images: Top: Differences in winter-time surface temperature between cases of high and low solar activity. Bottom: The remote plateau of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet where Vostok Station is located.


EcosystemsProgramme Leader: Prof Eugene Murphy [email protected]

Introduction

Polar ecosystems have a unique biological diversity, support international fisheries and tourism, and play a major role in global climate processes.The organisms within these ecosystems have evolved and adapted to cold, seasonal conditions and are often highly sensitive to change. Climate changes and increasing exploitation are already threatening the balance of these systems. The Ecosystems programme investigates how these polar ecosystems will respond to change, to develop a fundamental understanding of how biodiversity is maintained and how ecosystems might be managed sustainably in the future.

Novel genes help Arctic springtail survive the cold

Ice, snow and temperatures of -14°C are conditions in which most animals would find it difficult, if not impossible, to survive. However, this exactly describes the Arctic winter, and the springtail Megaphorura arctica regularly survives these extreme conditions and re-emerges in the spring. It is able to do this by reducing the amount of water in its body to almost zero – a process called ‘protective dehydration’. In the first extensive study conducted on any species which undergoes protective dehydration, gene chip techniques were used to analyse thousands of genes at the same time. We identified a number of novel genes involved in antioxidant activity (preventing cells from ‘aging’ due to their reaction with oxygen – a key part of protective dehydration) and also in maintaining the structure and function of the cell’s membranes under the stressful conditions. Ultimately some of these genes and the resulting novel protein products could be used in the storage and preservation of human tissues and organs at low temperatures.Contact: Dr Melody Clark [email protected]

Which penguins can take the heat?

Although penguins have evolved over millennia and experienced previous climatic change, their current adaptations restrict how far they can travel, how deep they can dive, and even what food they can eat. Thus, penguins forage in areas where food is abundant and predictable, and nest in areas with relatively stable environmental conditions and that are suitable for colonial life. When climate change alters these conditions, it may affect the timing and success of breeding, and ultimately the survival of individuals. In the Southern Ocean, complex climate-environment interactions drive changes in the ecosystem, and different species respond depending upon their tolerance to environmental change. For example, emperor and Adélie penguin life-cycles depend on sea ice and so their distribution has contracted as sea-ice coverage has reduced, while gentoo and chinstrap penguins do not need sea ice and their range has expanded. The fossil record indicates that penguins are more likely to disperse and colonise new areas rather than adapt when climate changes. However, tolerance to warming is essential if some species are to maintain their current distribution and abundance. Measuring the ability of penguins to withstand increasingly warm conditions is an important priority, helping to understand how species will be react to their changing environment. Currently, habitat change is likely to occur faster than some species can adapt.Contact: Dr Jaume Forcada [email protected]

Technical terms: Biodiversity: The variety, function and abundance of organisms. Ecosystem: An interacting community of organisms (e.g. plants and animals) and their physical and chemical environment. Gene chip techniques: Automated experiments that use microchips containing thousands of microscopic spots of DNA to test at the same time. Springtail: Primitive wingless insect with ‘spring-like’ legs.

Images: Top: Scanning Electron Microscope images of the springtail Megaphorura arctica in its fresh and dehydrated states. Bottom: A pair of gentoo penguins, a species that does not depend on sea ice.

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Environmental Change and EvolutionProgramme Leader: Dr Alistair Crame [email protected]


Introduction

The Environmental Change and Evolution programme investigates different aspects of environmental change in the polar regions on timescales that stretch from the present day to millions of years in the past. The programme employs elements of biology, geology and complexity science to study topics such as the origins and maintenance of biodiversity, geological controls on ice-sheet evolution, and reducing levels of uncertainty in natural systems. The programme is underpinned by a strong commitment to long-term monitoring and survey where observations are made from the deep sea to the outer atmosphere.

First bathymetric map of the South Sandwich Island chain

The predominantly submarine volcanoes of the South Sandwich Islands form a key set of stepping stones for marine and terrestrial organisms both entering into and dispersing from Antarctica. A BAS-led team, collaborating with University College London and the British Geological Survey, has mapped for the first time the entire 500km-long submarine part of the volcanic chain, using the multibeam sonar on BAS’s Royal Research Ship James Clark Ross. In marked contrast to volcanoes in calmer seas, these volcanoes are blanketed by thick sediments that form striking sediment waves extending over 55km from the islands. Profiles confirm that these waves formed from sediment-laden gravity currents sweeping down the volcanoes’ slopes. Rapid erosion along the unprotected coasts generated the large volumes of sediment. The resulting thick sediments on the lower volcano slopes seem to have helped to protect the volcanoes against slope failure and reduce any tsunami hazard. As sea-floor scouring is restricted to the flanks of emergent volcanoes, the more stable slopes of the numerous submarine seamounts have become sites of active sea-floor colonisation and biodiversity hotspots. This study enhances our knowledge of this important region for future biological and geological research.Contact: Dr Phil Leat [email protected]

First comprehensive census of the Southern Ocean

2010 is United Nations International Year of Biodiversity and BAS scientists have played a leading role in collating data within the ‘Census of Antarctic Marine Life’ project. The BAS database now contains nearly 50,000 records of marine invertebrates belonging to some 2,000 different species. These data can be accessed through the international SCAR-MarBIN portal, enabling researchers worldwide to include Antarctica in global syntheses of many taxonomic groups. This in turn can be used to highlight those that are unique to the polar regions and have been able to adapt successfully to life in cold waters. For example, whereas crabs and lobsters are extremely rare in the Southern Ocean, the closely related sea spiders are most abundant there. We have also been working with the ‘Marine Barcode of Life’ project to identify more than 1,250 species of Antarctic marine organisms via DNA analysis. Short sections of DNA extracted from each of these species form a rapid and unique method for making global comparisons and are particularly important for identifying true bipolar species. Improving our understanding of polar marine biodiversity increases our ability to predict how ecosystems will react to a changing marine environment over the coming decades and centuries.Contact: Dr Huw Griffiths [email protected]

Technical terms: Bathymetric map: A map of the underlying bed created from measurements of water depth of water in oceans, seas and lakes. Biodiversity: The variety, function and abundance of organisms. Complexity science: A new and fast-growing area of interdisciplinary science that seeks to understand natural systems that are dominated by their collective interactions rather than their individual parts. DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid, found in the nucleus of a cell, that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms. Ecosystem: An interacting community of organisms (e.g. plants and animals) and their physical and chemical environment. Marine invertebrates: Animals found in a marine environment which do not have a back-bone. In order to protect themselves, they may have evolved a shell or a hard exoskeleton, but this is not always the case. Multibeam sonar: An instrument that sends out acoustic pulses in water to measure distances in terms of the time for the echo of the pulse to return. Taxonomy: The classification of organisms into groups.

Images: Top: Submarine volcanoes around one of the South Sandwich Islands, showing numerous seamounts and sediment waves in the foreground. Bottom: A BAS marine biologist and a giant sea spider in the waters near Rothera Research Station, Adelaide Island, Antarctica.


IceSheetsProgramme Leader: Prof David Vaughan [email protected]

Introduction

The IceSheets programme is a multidisciplinary effort to understand past and future changes in the Antarctic ice sheet, and its potential impact on global sea level. Geological structures and chemical signatures are used to unravel the growth and retreat of ice sheets over past glacial cycles. Geophysical imaging techniques help investigate the processes that currently control ice flow. New computer simulation techniques are developed to predict how ice sheets will change in the future. In each case, the programme focuses on the most rapidly changing areas of the ice sheet.

Ice-sheet forecasting – where to begin?

Reliable projection of change in the Earth System through the coming centuries is crucial for developing sound policies, and to inform the debate about climate change. The most appropriate techniques for forecasting, however, vary considerably between different parts of the Earth System. Where response to external changes is rapid, our forecasts depend little on the initial conditions, but for systems with the longest response-times, such as ice sheets, capturing these initial conditions is crucial. We have developed a method for initialising ice-sheet models so that they accurately match current observations of ice-surface elevation and thickness, and ice-flow speed – a technique developed from mathematical methods used for medical imaging. The method can be viewed as producing maps of the traction produced by the bed on the base of the ice, and the ice viscosity. It can be applied to most models of ice-flow and could be widely adopted for ice-sheet forecasting, improving model accuracy and allowing better forecasts of long-term ice-sheet changes.Contact: Dr Robert Arthern [email protected]

Technical terms: Ice sheet: A mass of ice that covers surrounding terrain and is greater than 50,000km². Ice stream: A fast-flowing river of ice that drains the Antarctic ice sheet. Ice viscosity: A measure of the ice’s resistance to shear forces, and therefore its ability to flow. Sea-bed morphology: The form and structure of the sea bed. Sedimentary beds: Distinct layers of deposited material. Sonar: An instrument that sends out an acoustic pulse in water to measure distances in terms of the time for the echo of the pulse to return.

Images: Top: A remote autonomous instrument panel on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Bottom: A view of SWATH bathymetry data from the Amundsen Sea region showing streamlined sea-floor features produced by past glacial flow, and the transition between areas underlain by hard bedrock (lower right) and erodible sediments (upper left). Colours represent water depth: red is shallowest, blue is deepest.

Seabed record of past Antarctic glaciations

BAS scientists have worked onboard UK and German research ships in the frequently ice-bound seas close to the most rapidly-changing parts of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Towards the end of the last glacial period, the ice sheet covered these seas. Features that survive on the seabed, together with the chemical and physical composition of seabed sediments, record many thousands of years of change in Antarctica. Analysis has revealed that the ice sheet was a surprisingly dynamic system – ice streams switched on and off and changed direction many times. Sonar images allow us to describe an almost ubiquitous trend from complex sea-bed morphology close to the present ice sheet to a simple morphology of elongated ridges and troughs on the outer continental shelf. This pattern reflects the transition from the flow of erosive sub-glacial water over hard bedrock, to ice flow interacting with erodible sedimentary beds. We have used the mineralogical compositions of these sediments as a marker for the geographic source of sediments transported by ice streams. At least one major ice stream drew ice from a drainage basin that changed shape considerably between, and perhaps within, glacial cycles. This knowledge helps piece together the conditions and processes occurring during previous cold periods, and improves our ability to predict how this area of Antarctica may react to current and future environmental change.Contact: Dr Rob Larter [email protected]

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Polar OceansProgramme Leader: Dr Mike Meredith [email protected]


Introduction

The Southern Ocean and the Arctic are disproportionately important to planet Earth because of their influence on global ocean circulation and ice-sheet stability, and hence on large-scale climate and sea level. The Polar Oceans programme is using a multidisciplinary approach to understand how atmospheric, oceanographic and cryospheric processes in the polar regions combine to exert this influence. Measurements are being made in some of the key regions of the polar seas, including the use of innovative techniques to gather data from beneath floating ice shelves. These are being combined with novel theoretical developments and computer simulations to improve our ability to predict how the Earth System will evolve in the future.

Using satellites and biology to understand Southern Ocean physics

Due to its remoteness from the continents, plant growth in the Southern Ocean is limited by iron supply, which arrives as dust or from nearby land masses. Certain sub-Antarctic islands, namely South Georgia, Crozet and Kerguelen Islands, release iron into the ocean and fertilise huge phytoplankton blooms downstream. These blooms are important both as the base of the food web and for the carbon that they capture and export to the deep oceans. BAS scientists have shown that these blooms can also further our understanding of the physics of the Southern Ocean. The phytoplankton blooms, and their evolution in time, can be seen in satellite data. Comparing this evolution with the surface ocean currents (also obtained from satellite data), it is possible to infer the importance of surface ocean flows that are directly driven by the winds, but which cannot be derived directly from satellite data. This research not only furthers our knowledge of Southern Ocean physics, and also aspects of its biology, but also demonstrates the value in the range of modern satellite imagery and data collection.Contact: Dr Hugh Venables [email protected]

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Underneath the Larsen Ice Shelf

Data from an airborne, downward-looking radar have revealed a ‘map’ of areas beneath the Larsen C Ice Shelf where ice is accreting onto the bottom of the ice shelf from the surrounding ocean. The locations where marine ice is deposited were seen to be controlled by the oceanographic conditions beneath the ice shelf. The marine ice distribution was used to validate the results of a computer simulation of the ocean circulation under the ice. The Larsen C Ice Shelf is thought to play a significant role in the oceanographic climate of the Weddell Sea, but it is also the next ice shelf on the eastern Antarctic Peninsula in line for collapse. The marine ice mapped and explained in this study helps stabilise the ice shelf and will modify the way it may break up. Understanding its effects helps us to comprehend when and how that break-up might happen.Contact: Dr Paul Holland [email protected]

Technical terms: Cryospheric processes: Processes that occur in the portion of the Earth where natural materials (water, soil, etc.) occur in frozen form (i.e. ice, permafrost etc.). Food web: The network of interconnected food chains within a community. Ice sheet: A mass of ice that covers surrounding terrain and is greater than 50,000km². Phytoplankton: Microscopic floating plants. Radar: Instrument which uses the echo of a pulse of electromagnetic radiation to detect, in this case, features beneath an ice sheet.

Images: Top: The concentration of chlorophyll-a in the surface ocean, as measured by satellite. The black line shows an oceanographic streamline, along which water is expected to flow preferentially. Bottom: BAS radar flight lines over the Larsen C Ice Shelf – yellow shading shows the location of marine ice proposed by the study.


EXPERTISE

The British Antarctic Survey has world-leading expertise in managing and undertaking science, logistics and engineering in some of the world’s most hostile environments.BAS prides itself in the development and training of UK polar scientists, engineers and logistic experts, as well as maintaining an excellent track-record of health and safety and environmental management in both polar regions.

BAS is well known for its excellent aircraft operations and sound safety culture. This was recognised in December 2009 when the Survey achieved registration for the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO). Following a rigorous independent assessment by the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC), accreditation was given in recognition of our safe aircraft operations and working practices in the extreme Antarctic environment.

During 2009/10, BAS delivered a hugely successful Antarctic field season, supporting over 50 projects – 23 field science projects, 11 station projects, 11 science cruises, two media visits and one environmental clean-up project. The majority of the science projects involved UK or foreign collaborators, with seven coming through the NERC Antarctic Funding Initiative (AFI) including researchers from nine leading UK universities and research institutes.

Collaboration between national Antarctic programmes is vital to maximise scientific opportunities and reduce costs. This is particularly evident in current aircraft operations in Antarctica. During early 2010, BAS worked in close collaboration with the German Alfred Wegener Institut (AWI) for polar and marine research to study the atmospheric boundary layer above sea ice in the western Weddell Sea. The project involved synchronous flights of a specially-instrumented BAS Twin Otter and AWI Basler DC-3, both operating from Rothera Research Station. The aircraft were used as aerial platforms to measure wind, temperature and humidity and the degree of ice cover. The data will be used to determine the heat exchange between the ice-covered ocean and the atmosphere.

Rothera is also a vital logistics gateway for aircraft entering or leaving Antarctica. In February 2010, science teams from eight countries used the facilities at Rothera Research Station as they passed through on their way home after months working in the deep field. At one point, there was a record-breaking total of 12 aircraft parked beside the runway – an excellent example of international co-operation in Antarctica.

BAS scientists, engineers, and operations and logistics teams are true experts in their fields, leading international science projects and overcoming increasingly ambitious technical, logistical and environmental challenges safely and successfully.

Dr John ShearsBoard Member for Operations and [email protected]

Images: Top: BAS Director, Professor Nicholas Owens (centre), receives the registration for the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BASO).Bottom: A total of 12 aircraft from several international Antarctic operators are parked beside the runway at Rothera Research Station.

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Operations and engineeringContacts: John Hall [email protected] (Operations) and David Blake [email protected] (Engineering)


Introduction

To deliver world-class science thousands of kilometres away, BAS needs modern technology for science and infrastructure, up-to-date facilities and effective operational management.We have long-term planning horizons, a flexible and innovative approach, and an ongoing programme to introduce new facilities and technology. Success depends on excellent teamwork across many disciplines, a continuous search for better ways of working, and collaboration with other NERC programmes and national operators.

Record cargo season for Halley Research Station

By far the largest station project of 2009/10 was the logistics supply and construction work at the new Halley VI Research Station on the Brunt Ice Shelf. Eight weeks of pre-season works prepared the site in anticipation of the largest cargo and relief effort ever undertaken at a BAS station. The cargo ship MV Igarka struggled through virtually impenetrable sea ice before finding a 170m-long straight ice edge to moor against. A huge effort and good weather meant 10,000m3 of cargo was unloaded, 4km of depot lines were established and over 400 sledge journeys, covering nearly 4,000km, were completed – all in only four-and-a-half days. During this period, RRS Ernest Shackleton arrived with the other half of the construction team onboard. The team started work on the new central red module just a day after relief started and within seven weeks they had it built, clad and some of the internal walls constructed. Sequentially the seven tented blue modules were fully clad. An observatory was mounted on top of the southern science module and much of the mechanical and electrical services were fitted in the energy modules. Both the construction and project teams worked extremely hard this season to make it a fantastic success. Now all we have to do is repeat the same feat with the internals next season!Contact: Karl Tuplin [email protected]

New deep-sea camera films mysterious ‘black smokers’

BAS has an ongoing collaborative agreement with the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, within Columbia University in New York, to share expertise and resources to develop technology and engineering systems. Working within this agreement, BAS developed an underwater camera system – ‘Vent cam’ – which was developed to provide long-term flow measurements at hydrothermal vents (‘black smokers’) on the sea floor. Vent cam is a fully autonomous camera capable of self-light balancing and operations down to a depth of 6,000m. High-speed lossless video can be captured at speeds up to 72 frames per second, a laser rangefinder is used for focusing and an LED is used to illuminate the relevant black smoker. Over the Christmas 2009/10 period, the camera was deployed for the first time at the East Pacific Rise using the ALVIN manned deep-sea submersible (operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts, USA). The camera performed perfectly, capturing 15 seconds of video every 10 minutes for three days, completing a successful initial deployment of this type of device and paving the way for its use in future science projects.Contact: Carl Robinson [email protected]

Technical terms: Hydrothermal vent: A fissure on the sea floor from which geothermally heated water comes out.

Images: Top: Construction of one of the modules for Halley VI Research Station. Bottom: A hydrothermal vent, or ‘black smoker’ on the Pacific sea bed.


Recruitment and career developmentContact: Laura Formoy [email protected]

This year has focussed on the implementation and embedding of the new structures and processes in support of the PSPE science programme, targeting the development of skills to reflect organisational needs as we look to the future.At BAS we recognise the value of developing internal talent, both in terms of staff engagement and retention. Throughout BAS we need to ensure we have the skills and knowledge to produce world-leading science output and deliver world-class polar operations. Our career development processes are continually being developed to that end.

In addition, BAS is introducing a more comprehensive approach to resource planning, aiming to ensure the needs of the organisation are met with the development of our own people. Our Antarctic Employment Pool, i.e. those uniquely working in Antarctica, represent a hugely diverse skills pool, covering all that is needed to live and work in isolation in some of the world’s most arduous environments. As a result of our long-term engagement programme, 2009/10 saw the highest number of Antarctic employees returning to BAS for another season.

Where there has been a need to recruit externally, we continue to use a range of media as appropriate. Where creative campaigns are utilised we work to obtain best value by combining campaigns, resulting in greater coverage for reduced cost. Our 2009 Antarctic Trades recruitment campaign has been recognised as ‘Recruitment Work of the Year’ by the Public Sector People Managers Association.

Images: Top: BAS’s award-winning recruitment campaign for tradespeople to work in the Antarctic. Bottom: BAS scientists work in laboratories in Cambridge and in the Antarctic, as well as spending time at remote field locations.

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Protecting the environmentContact: Rachel Clarke [email protected]


Introduction

BAS is committed to delivering its science programme and associated logistics with the minimum environmental impact. BAS strives for continuous improvement and achieves this by using an environmental management system (certified to the internationally recognised ISO 14001 standard), and environmental impact assessment and monitoring. We also maintain a leadership role in Antarctic environmental affairs, for example by supporting the UK Government in Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings.

Eradicating aliens on an Antarctic volcano

Invasions by alien species are one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity as they can rapidly alter existing ecosystem structure and function. In January 2010, BAS scientists visited Whalers Bay on Deception Island to examine a suspected alien plant called Nassauvia magellanica, which originated from Tierra del Fuego, 900km to the north. It was unclear whether the plant seeds/propagules were transported to the island by natural means (e.g. wind-borne or attached to sea birds) or associated with humans (attached to visitor’s clothing, bags, etc.), therefore making it an alien species. However, in light of the close proximity of N. magellanica to the popular visitor site at Whalers Bay, a precautionary approach was adopted and all visible plant material was removed. This work led to several scientific papers concerned with alien species in Antarctica being submitted to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting Committee for Environmental Protection (ATCM/CEP) and will help with the future identification and management of suspected alien species colonisation in Antarctica. Contact: Kevin Hughes [email protected]

Minimising light pollution

In 2009/10, BAS received an environmental award from the British Astronomical Association for our Guidelines on Minimising Light Pollution. Globally, pollution by light is recognised as an environmental concern and excessive light can result in bird strikes on buildings or ships. Bird strikes on BAS vessels most commonly occur when operating around the shores of South Georgia or the South Orkneys, in particular on foggy nights. This may result in mortality or injury to birds. Light pollution also hampers atmospheric, astronomical and meteorological observations and is a waste of energy. BAS guidelines contain practical measures to minimise pollution by light and the risk of seabird strikes on vessels and station buildings. BAS also developed an internet-based Bird Strike Log for reporting incidents. Since the implementation of the preventative measures, bird strikes on BAS ships have reduced year on year. The BAS guidelines were submitted to the 2010 Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in Uruguay, as well as to the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), to share best practice with other national Antarctic operators.Contact: Rod Downie [email protected]

Technical terms: Biodiversity: The variety, function and abundance of organisms. Ecosystem: An interacting community of organisms (e.g. plants and animals) and their physical and chemical environment. Propagule: Any plant part that is capable of independently growing into a new individual.

Images: Top: Suspected alien plant Nassauvia magellanica on Deception Island. Bottom: RRS Ernest Shackleton anchored to the Brunt Ice Shelf during relief of Halley Research Station.


Health and safetyContact: Steven Marshall [email protected]

BAS always gives the greatest importance to the health, safety and well-being of its staff.The polar regions are challenging and hazardous environments to have as your workplace. This is a day-to-day reality at BAS, and we are committed to ensuring that safety is at the heart of all we do. BAS has a pragmatic, positive and open culture which engages its staff in eliminating or reducing risks. An essential aspect of managing these risks is the training, competence and experience of our staff, and this continues to be a top priority.

BAS has retained certification to British Standard OHSAS 18001, the occupational health and safety management standard. Our health and safety improvement programme identifies the most significant areas for improvement from our accident reporting and audit systems. Each year we conduct safety campaigns to target some of the specific hazards found at BAS, and there is an active exchange of this information with our international partners.

This year we have concentrated on improving our management and knowledge of the risks from carbon monoxide (CO). We have introduced new, improved CO personal alarms across the BAS operation and they are proving especially effective in safeguarding our staff when using stoves in tents. We have also set up a research project to further investigate if a redesign of our stoves and heaters can reduce or eliminate the production of CO. We will be testing a number of prototypes in the coming 2010/11 Antarctic season.

We consult staff regularly on the management of health and safety through committees at BAS Cambridge, the stations and on the ships. Our health and safety policy and performance is monitored by the BAS Board through a standing item in monthly Board meetings. The BAS senior management team places the highest priority on the health and safety of staff, and as a consequence is dedicated to strong and active health and safety leadership.

Image: A field camp on the Brunt Ice Shelf, Antarctica.

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17For more information, please visit our website: www.antarctica.ac.uki

IMPACT

BAS seeks to make an impact which goes wider than the international science community.For example, we work closely with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office to ensure that the UK retains its leadership role in Antarctic affairs. BAS provides policy advice and expert members of the UK delegation to all Antarctic meetings, including Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings and those inspired by International Polar Year. Among Managers of National Antarctic Programmes, BAS is taking the lead to promote a system of reporting accidents, incidents and near misses based on our own system, which all nations can then use to spread best practice and reduce future casualties. In such ways we use our expertise in polar science and logistics to benefit others, reinforcing the UK’s reputation and setting the Antarctic agenda.

In the UK, the aim is to communicate BAS science as widely as possible. Whether this is done through websites like ‘Discovering Antarctica’ (www.discoveringantarctica.org.uk) aimed at school children, via broadcast interviews or through targeted briefings for Ministers and senior officials, this remains a central part of our mission. It is vital that the UK public should realise that Antarctica, though so remote, is relevant to their daily lives and will affect key decisions, for example, about future flood defences. Our own website provides a range of information about our science and operations, attracting over 1.5 million individual visits per year. In the past year 3,625 individual news items (in the English language) featured BAS, giving half a billion people the opportunity to see, hear or read about BAS science in at least 65 countries. We also continued to support a lecture series in Cambridge called ‘Environment on the Edge’, combining science and policy issues.

International collaboration, always a strength for BAS, took a step forward this year. Having been closely involved in negotiating the new Governmental Memorandum with Canada on access to the polar regions, BAS made it a reality by flying in July 2009 to the Canadian Arctic. Links with other key partners were also extended, through targeted collaboration with South Korea, Germany, Norway, the USA and many others.

Finally there are some impacts which BAS tries hard not to make: on the Antarctic environment itself, and on the health and safety of our staff. The systems which help us to avoid this need continuous updating and improvement, assisted by frequent exchange of information and collaboration with others operating in the extremes of the world’s polar regions.

Robert CulshawDeputy [email protected]

Images: Top: Logo of the 50th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, held in Baltimore, USA, in April 2009. Bottom: A BAS Twin Otter aircraft on the landing strip at Expedition Fjord, Canadian Arctic.


Leadership in polar affairsContact: Dr John Shears [email protected]

Introduction

Sustaining a scientific leadership role for the UK in polar affairs is a key part of the BAS mission. We ensure that the UK Government, key decision-makers and international organisations are scientifically well advised about important areas of concern, such as global climate change, sustainable fisheries management, and protecting the Antarctic environment.

Images: Top: The location of the newly-designated South Orkney Marine Protected Area. Bottom: Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment – the first comprehensive review of the state of Antarctica’s climate and its relationship to the global climate system by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR).

The first Marine Protected Area for the Southern Ocean

BAS scientists led a UK proposal for the designation of a Marine Protected Area (MPA) covering a large part of the Southern Ocean in British Antarctic Territory, south of the South Orkney Islands. The proposal, for the world’s first entirely ‘high seas’ marine protected area, was approved in November 2009 at the annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). The new South Orkney Islands southern shelf MPA encompasses an area just under 94,000km2 and entered into force in May 2010. The new MPA regulations prohibit all fishing activities, as well as waste disposal and discharge from fishing vessels within its boundaries, and will allow for improved co-ordination of scientific research activities and better conservation of the area’s marine biodiversity. The new measures will allow scientists to monitor better the effects of human activities and climate change on the Southern Ocean.Contact: Dr Susie Grant [email protected]

BAS leadership on the SCAR Antarctic Climate Change and Environment (ACCE) report

The first comprehensive review of the state of Antarctica’s climate and its relationship to the global climate system was published in December 2009 by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR).The review – Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment – presents the latest research from Antarctica, identifies areas for future scientific research, and addresses the urgent questions that policy makers have about Antarctic melting, sea-level rise and biodiversity. BAS scientist, Dr John Turner, was the Chief Editor and presented the document at the UN climate change talks in Copenhagen. Based on the latest evidence from 100 world-leading scientists from 13 countries, the review focuses on the impact and consequences of rapid warming of the Antarctic Peninsula and the Southern Ocean; rapid ice loss in parts of Antarctica and the increase in sea ice around the continent; the impact of climate change on Antarctica’s plants and animals; the unprecedented increase in carbon dioxide levels; the connections between human-induced global change and natural variability; and the extraordinary finding that the ozone hole has shielded most of Antarctica from global warming. This important document will inform UK Government, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and other international organisations about the very latest climate-change science in Antarctica to help guide international policy-making.Contact: Dr John Turner [email protected]

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CollaborationsContact: Prof Alan Rodger [email protected]


Introduction

Many of the problems posed by the polar regions cannot be answered by BAS alone. Therefore we collaborate extensively with the environmental community in the UK and overseas to share skills, infrastructure, knowledge and expertise to maximise scientific impact.

ice2sea – estimating the future contribution of continental ice to sea-level rise

The melting of continental ice (glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets) is a source of current sea-level rise, and one that is accelerating more rapidly than was predicted even a few years ago – a fundamental issue identified in the most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). BAS is leading a €10M EU programme – ice2sea – to quantify the contribution of continental ice to sea-level rise over the next 200 years. The project involves 24 institutional partners. The results will be delivered in forms accessible to scientists, policy-makers and the general public, which will include clear presentations of the sources of uncertainty. Results will be submitted for the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (IPCC AR5) by July 2012. The project runs until May 2013 when the report will be published. See www.ice2sea.eu for more information.Contact: Prof David Vaughan [email protected]

Integrating Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics (ICED) in the Southern Ocean

BAS scientists have played a leading role in the formation and the development of ICED – an international programme launched to address the need for circumpolar analyses of Southern Ocean climate and ecosystem dynamics. ICED adopts an integrated view, considering physical, chemical and biological interactions that influence ecosystem structure and function. Many of the scientific challenges lie at the interfaces between ecosystem, climate, biogeochemistry and fisheries science, making interdisciplinary co-ordination a key focus. ICED has already made significant achievements in developing integrated Southern Ocean research, and collaborations have been initiated with scientists working outside the Antarctic in order to explore changing ecosystems at both poles and in the context of the Earth System as a whole. The programme runs until 2017 and will provide detailed predictions of the effects of change for the Southern Ocean ecosystem, together with improved procedures for sustainable management of the marine resources. See www.iced.ac.uk for more information.Contact: Dr Rachel Cavanagh [email protected]

Technical terms: Biogeochemistry: The study of the chemical, physical, geological, and biological processes and reactions of the natural environment. Ecosystem: An interacting community of organisms (e.g. plants and animals) and their physical and chemical environment.

Images: Top: Logo of the international Integrating Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics (ICED) programme. Bottom: The Sheldon Glacier with Mount Barre in the background, seen from Ryder Bay near Rothera Research Station, Adelaide Island, Antarctica.


Science in societyContact: Linda Capper [email protected]

Introduction

BAS is committed to explaining its science and operations to as wide an audience as possible. BAS’s science communication portfolio blends corporate communications, media relations, education, event management and publishing, as well as directly supporting scientists in their media and outreach activities. It is designed to engage different sectors of society in BAS science and operations and shares the Government and NERC’s vision for science and society.

BAS staff become national STEM Ambassadors

As part of its strategy to enthuse the next generation of scientists, BAS is committed to engaging young people. Many members of staff play a leading role in achieving this. During 2009/10, more BAS staff signed-up to the national Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Ambassador Scheme to promote these key subjects in UK education, bringing the total number of Ambassadors up to 20. BAS scientists, engineers, managers and support staff employ best practice for giving presentations in schools or at public events and educational activities. The scheme requires that its members complete at least one outreach activity per year and are available to potentially fulfil educational requests through the national STEM network. Ambassadors benefit from insurance cover for activities undertaken and receive a national accreditation. Participation in this scheme aligns this important element of BAS engagement with national government-sponsored initiatives for putting science at the heart of our society and for supporting the teaching of science, engineering, technology and mathematics in British schools.Contact: Audrey Stevens [email protected]

Images: Top: The logo for STEMNET, the UK’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Network. Bottom: A Sky News report from Rothera Research Station, Adelaide Island, Antarctica.

Raising awareness of BAS science at UN Copenhagen climate talks

A strong communication focus was the promotion of BAS climate science in the run up to the UN Copenhagen Climate talks in November 2009. A team from Sky News visited Rothera Research Station in the months before the meeting and four press releases explaining peer-reviewed climate research were issued. BAS led the media launch of the SCAR Report – Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment – the first comprehensive review of the state of Antarctica’s climate, whose chief editor was BAS’s John Turner (see page 18). Media coverage generated during November contributed to public engagement in and awareness of the relevance of BAS climate science to this important global environmental issue. Over 700 individual news stories about our science appeared in print, broadcast and online.Contact: Linda Capper [email protected]

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Analysis of Expenditure 2009-2010

Ships

Aircraft

Research Stations

Cambridge

EID

Other

Facilities Management

Science

3%2%

29%

8%

21%

11%

2%

24%

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Facts and figures 2009-2010


Total staff employed541 staff worked for BAS during the reporting period

InfrastructureFive Antarctic or sub-Antarctic research stations: Rothera (year-round) Halley (year-round) Bird Island (year-round) King Edward Point (year-round) Signy (summer-only)

Two ice-strengthened Royal Research Ships: RRS James Clark Ross RRS Ernest Shackleton

Five aircraft: One De Havilland Canada Dash-7 aircraft Four De Havilland Canada Twin Otter aircraft

Polar presence

Antarctica278 personnel at Rothera Research Station114 personnel at Halley Research Station46 personnel at Signy, Bird Island and King Edward Point Research Stations

Arctic28 personnel at Ny Ålesund Research Station, Svalbard

PhD Students40 registered for higher degrees (co-supervised by BAS staff)

Publications281 peer-reviewed research papers listed in the ISI database of high-quality journals, including 7 published in leading science journals Science and Nature. Details of all BAS papers can be found at: www.antarctica.ac.uk/about_bas/publications/science_publications.php

BAS website (www.antarctica.ac.uk)144,250 individual visits per month (average for reporting period)

Analysis of Expenditure 2009-2010Total budget 2009/10: £46.7 million (£43.1M running costs, £3.6M capital spend, excluding Halley VI)

Full figures can be found in the BAS Business Plan, which can be viewed at:www.antarctica.ac.uk/about_bas/publications/corporate.php

BAS images and mapsTo purchase any of the 8,000+ images stored in the British Antarctic Survey image collection, visit:www.photo.antarctica.ac.uk

The British Antarctic Survey also has a selection of maps available to purchase at:www.stanfords.co.uk

Feedback and further informationWe welcome your feedback and comments on this document. These should be addressed to:

Linda CapperHead of Communications GroupBritish Antarctic SurveyHigh Cross, Madingley RoadCambridge, CB3 0ET, UKEmail: [email protected]

For further information about BAS, please visit our website: www.antarctica.ac.uk

Published by British Antarctic Survey© NERC 2010. All rights reserved.

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NorthPole

GREENLAND Svalbard

Arctic

Ocean

Iceland

EAST ANTARCTICA

WESTANTARCTICA

SouthPole

RossIce

Shelf

RonneIce

Shelf

SouthGeorgia

FalklandIslands

SouthAmerica

Weddell

Sea

Bellingshausen

Sea

Ross

Sea

Dra

ke P

assa

ge

Signy Research Station

Rothera Research Station

Halley Research Station

BAS Cambridge

BAS Stanley Office

Bird Island Research Station

NERC Ny Ålesund Research Station

Fossil Bluff Field Station

Sky-Blu Field Station

King Edward Point Research Station*

* Run on behalf of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office andthe Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

BAS Offices and Research Stations

www.antarctica.ac.uk

British Antarctic Survey (BAS), a component of the Natural Environment Research Council, delivers world-leading, interdisciplinary research in the polar regions. Its skilled science and support staff based in Cambridge, Antarctica and the Arctic, work together to deliver research that underpins a productive economy and contributes to a sustainable world. Its numerous national and international collaborations, leadership role in Antarctic affairs and excellent infrastructure help ensure that the UK maintains a world-leading position. BAS has over 450 staff and operates five research stations, two Royal Research Ships and five aircraft in and around Antarctica.

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