-
Extreme Antarctica: We are British Antarctic Survey
In the most extreme places in the world, the most remarkable people are gathering scientific evidence about our changing planet.
British Antarctic Survey works to uncover the secrets of Earth’s frozen places, from the depths of the oceans to the inner edge of space. We have been living and working in the extremes of Antarctica and the Arctic for over 60 years.
What happens in Antarctica doesn't stay in Antarctica. Our planet’s frozen regions are changing in ways that impact the entire planet, and at a rate and scale we haven't seen before. We're working to understand why, what this means for the inhabitants of Earth, and what we can do about it.
---
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/BAS_News
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BritishAntarcticSurvey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com...
published: 22 Jun 2023
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Flying over Antarctica in an uncrewed aircraft | British Antarctic Survey
A team testing the Windracers ULTRA drone in Antarctica has shared the first video footage of the aircraft flying autonomously over British Antarctic Survey’s (BAS) Rothera Research Station and its nearby islands.
Scientists and engineers, from BAS and Windracers, are testing the uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) in Antarctica to check its suitability for future use. Over the last few weeks the UAV has flown over 720kms collecting scientific data that could enable researchers to widen the range of scientific research they do to understand how Antarctica is being affected by environmental change.
If successful, the new drone platform could represent a major addition to BAS’s scientific capability on the frozen continent – offering the potential to increase airborne science and accelerate rese...
published: 22 Feb 2024
-
British Antarctic Survey
International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration
This joint UK-US research programme aims to improve the understanding of the processes affecting ice sheet stability to predict, with more certainty, the future impact of sea-level rise from Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica.
Scientists from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and other institutes will investigate whether Thwaites glacier may collapse in the next few decades or centuries, and how this could affect future global sea-level rise. New knowledge about the glacier’s behaviour currently and in the past is critical for making better predictions of how the ocean and ice will respond to environmental change.
published: 09 Jul 2019
-
British Antarctic Survey
Construction update on the RRS Sir David Attenborough – one of the most advanced polar research vessels in the world. This time-lapse video, shot by Cammell Laird, records progress from October 2016 - December 2017. This footage includes the intergration of the stern section which travelled from A&P in Newcastle, along with the ship's move out of the Construction Hall at the end of 2017. The ship will be completed by October 2018.
The RRS Sir David Attenborough was commissioned by NERC and built by Cammell Laird. The new polar research ship, capable of circling the entire Antarctic continent twice, will allow scientists of British Antarctic Survey greater opportunities for exploration and research with state-of-the-art facilities. Find out more about the UK's newest polar research ship h...
published: 04 Jan 2018
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Look inside the UK Arctic Research Station | British Antarctic Survey
Have you ever wondered where scientists live and work when studying the Arctic? Wonder no longer! UK Arctic Station Leader, Iain Rudkin, takes you on a whistle-stop two minute tour around the UK Arctic Research Station at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard.
The UK Arctic Research Station is managed and operated by British Antarctic Survey and the NERC UK Arctic Office, and situated in the international research community at Ny-Ålesund on the high Arctic island of Spitsbergen, part of the Svalbard archipelago (Lat. 78°55'0"N, Long. 11°55'59"E)
Ny-Ålesund is reputedly the world’s northern-most community. It can be host to up to 150 people, it has a unique atmosphere kindled by scientists of various disciplines and nationalities living, working and cooperating in a beautiful, though sometimes harsh, envi...
published: 09 Nov 2023
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RRS Sir David Attenborough's first season in Antarctica
Take a look back at RRS Sir David Attenborough's first season South. The ship spent six months visiting BAS' research stations and completing science tasks on its landmark maiden voyage to Antarctica.
published: 05 Aug 2022
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Timelapse | Building a modern research station in Antarctica | British Antarctic Survey
Our Discovery Building is now weathertight! It's a new scientific support facility being constructed at Rothera Research Station, the UK's largest research and operations hub in Antarctica.
The team of around 54 on-site construction team members have been facing harsh weather conditions to complete this season’s programme of works before their planned departure in April. This timelapse shows the team adding the building's iconic blue cladding, and the new operations tower. When complete, the Discovery Building will replace several older buildings at Rothera Research Station and will support science in the region for at least the next 50 years.
The new Discovery Building will mean the British Antarctic Survey and our research partners can continue to deliver cutting-edge climate, biodiv...
published: 04 Apr 2023
-
Predicting sea-level rise: introducing SURFEIT | British Antarctic Survey
Are recent climate-linked extreme conditions in Antarctica one-off events? Or can we expect them to occur more often? Those are pretty crucial questions, because they change the forecast of how quickly ice sheets will melt, and how quickly sea levels will rise.
SURFEIT, or "Surface Fluxes in Antarctica" is a new UK National Capability project led by British Antarctic Survey to help predict sea level rise.
SURFEIT will bring together the international scientific community to analyse and model physical key processes in Antarctica in unprecedented detail. These processes include the formation of polar clouds, how warmer conditions influence snowfall, how liquid water and solid ice interact, and how to apply models and forecasts more precisely to smaller and more specific Antarctic regions. ...
published: 13 Dec 2023
-
Petermann Island during the Starlink Telemedicine research
During our research project in Antarctica, we managed to send data and livestream a video from Petermann Island.
We want to take a second a remember the 3 members of the British Antarctic Survey who lost their live 14 August 1982 during a sea ice excursion their names are Ambrose Morgan, John Coll, Kevin Ockleton.
We are honored that we could take a small step in improving remote medical work at this special location.
published: 27 Feb 2024
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Accidental discovery of extreme life | British Antarctic Survey
February 2021. Far underneath the ice shelves of the Antarctic, there’s more life than scientists expected...
During an exploratory survey, researchers drilled through 900m of ice in the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf on the South Eastern Weddell Sea. 260 km away from the open ocean and under complete darkness and with temperatures of -2.2 °C, very few animals have ever been observed in these conditions. But this study is the first to discover the existence of stationary animals – like sponges and potentially several previously unknown species – attached to a boulder on the sea floor.
This is the first ever record of a "hard substrate" (eg. a boulder) community deep beneath an ice shelf - and it appears to go against all previous theories of what types of life could survive there.
Given the...
published: 15 Feb 2021
2:05
Extreme Antarctica: We are British Antarctic Survey
In the most extreme places in the world, the most remarkable people are gathering scientific evidence about our changing planet.
British Antarctic Survey work...
In the most extreme places in the world, the most remarkable people are gathering scientific evidence about our changing planet.
British Antarctic Survey works to uncover the secrets of Earth’s frozen places, from the depths of the oceans to the inner edge of space. We have been living and working in the extremes of Antarctica and the Arctic for over 60 years.
What happens in Antarctica doesn't stay in Antarctica. Our planet’s frozen regions are changing in ways that impact the entire planet, and at a rate and scale we haven't seen before. We're working to understand why, what this means for the inhabitants of Earth, and what we can do about it.
---
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/BAS_News
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BritishAntarcticSurvey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/britishantarcticsurvey
Thumbnail photo of the 2022 Wintering Team at Rothera Research Station, by Sam Hunt.
#antarctica #climatechange #science #outdoorjobs
https://wn.com/Extreme_Antarctica_We_Are_British_Antarctic_Survey
In the most extreme places in the world, the most remarkable people are gathering scientific evidence about our changing planet.
British Antarctic Survey works to uncover the secrets of Earth’s frozen places, from the depths of the oceans to the inner edge of space. We have been living and working in the extremes of Antarctica and the Arctic for over 60 years.
What happens in Antarctica doesn't stay in Antarctica. Our planet’s frozen regions are changing in ways that impact the entire planet, and at a rate and scale we haven't seen before. We're working to understand why, what this means for the inhabitants of Earth, and what we can do about it.
---
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/BAS_News
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BritishAntarcticSurvey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/britishantarcticsurvey
Thumbnail photo of the 2022 Wintering Team at Rothera Research Station, by Sam Hunt.
#antarctica #climatechange #science #outdoorjobs
- published: 22 Jun 2023
- views: 3372
1:33
Flying over Antarctica in an uncrewed aircraft | British Antarctic Survey
A team testing the Windracers ULTRA drone in Antarctica has shared the first video footage of the aircraft flying autonomously over British Antarctic Survey’s (...
A team testing the Windracers ULTRA drone in Antarctica has shared the first video footage of the aircraft flying autonomously over British Antarctic Survey’s (BAS) Rothera Research Station and its nearby islands.
Scientists and engineers, from BAS and Windracers, are testing the uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) in Antarctica to check its suitability for future use. Over the last few weeks the UAV has flown over 720kms collecting scientific data that could enable researchers to widen the range of scientific research they do to understand how Antarctica is being affected by environmental change.
If successful, the new drone platform could represent a major addition to BAS’s scientific capability on the frozen continent – offering the potential to increase airborne science and accelerate research through increasing the current BAS operations.
The full story is on the British Antarctic Survey website ⬇️
https://www.bas.ac.uk/media-post/first-flights-of-uncrewed-aircraft-in-antarctica/
https://wn.com/Flying_Over_Antarctica_In_An_Uncrewed_Aircraft_|_British_Antarctic_Survey
A team testing the Windracers ULTRA drone in Antarctica has shared the first video footage of the aircraft flying autonomously over British Antarctic Survey’s (BAS) Rothera Research Station and its nearby islands.
Scientists and engineers, from BAS and Windracers, are testing the uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) in Antarctica to check its suitability for future use. Over the last few weeks the UAV has flown over 720kms collecting scientific data that could enable researchers to widen the range of scientific research they do to understand how Antarctica is being affected by environmental change.
If successful, the new drone platform could represent a major addition to BAS’s scientific capability on the frozen continent – offering the potential to increase airborne science and accelerate research through increasing the current BAS operations.
The full story is on the British Antarctic Survey website ⬇️
https://www.bas.ac.uk/media-post/first-flights-of-uncrewed-aircraft-in-antarctica/
- published: 22 Feb 2024
- views: 1342
11:56
British Antarctic Survey
International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration
This joint UK-US research programme aims to improve the understanding of the processes affecting ice sheet stabili...
International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration
This joint UK-US research programme aims to improve the understanding of the processes affecting ice sheet stability to predict, with more certainty, the future impact of sea-level rise from Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica.
Scientists from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and other institutes will investigate whether Thwaites glacier may collapse in the next few decades or centuries, and how this could affect future global sea-level rise. New knowledge about the glacier’s behaviour currently and in the past is critical for making better predictions of how the ocean and ice will respond to environmental change.
https://wn.com/British_Antarctic_Survey
International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration
This joint UK-US research programme aims to improve the understanding of the processes affecting ice sheet stability to predict, with more certainty, the future impact of sea-level rise from Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica.
Scientists from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and other institutes will investigate whether Thwaites glacier may collapse in the next few decades or centuries, and how this could affect future global sea-level rise. New knowledge about the glacier’s behaviour currently and in the past is critical for making better predictions of how the ocean and ice will respond to environmental change.
- published: 09 Jul 2019
- views: 4371
2:32
British Antarctic Survey
Construction update on the RRS Sir David Attenborough – one of the most advanced polar research vessels in the world. This time-lapse video, shot by Cammell Lai...
Construction update on the RRS Sir David Attenborough – one of the most advanced polar research vessels in the world. This time-lapse video, shot by Cammell Laird, records progress from October 2016 - December 2017. This footage includes the intergration of the stern section which travelled from A&P in Newcastle, along with the ship's move out of the Construction Hall at the end of 2017. The ship will be completed by October 2018.
The RRS Sir David Attenborough was commissioned by NERC and built by Cammell Laird. The new polar research ship, capable of circling the entire Antarctic continent twice, will allow scientists of British Antarctic Survey greater opportunities for exploration and research with state-of-the-art facilities. Find out more about the UK's newest polar research ship here: https://www.bas.ac.uk/polar-operations/sites-and-facilities/facility/rrs-sir-david-attenborough/
https://wn.com/British_Antarctic_Survey
Construction update on the RRS Sir David Attenborough – one of the most advanced polar research vessels in the world. This time-lapse video, shot by Cammell Laird, records progress from October 2016 - December 2017. This footage includes the intergration of the stern section which travelled from A&P in Newcastle, along with the ship's move out of the Construction Hall at the end of 2017. The ship will be completed by October 2018.
The RRS Sir David Attenborough was commissioned by NERC and built by Cammell Laird. The new polar research ship, capable of circling the entire Antarctic continent twice, will allow scientists of British Antarctic Survey greater opportunities for exploration and research with state-of-the-art facilities. Find out more about the UK's newest polar research ship here: https://www.bas.ac.uk/polar-operations/sites-and-facilities/facility/rrs-sir-david-attenborough/
- published: 04 Jan 2018
- views: 5556
2:00
Look inside the UK Arctic Research Station | British Antarctic Survey
Have you ever wondered where scientists live and work when studying the Arctic? Wonder no longer! UK Arctic Station Leader, Iain Rudkin, takes you on a whistle-...
Have you ever wondered where scientists live and work when studying the Arctic? Wonder no longer! UK Arctic Station Leader, Iain Rudkin, takes you on a whistle-stop two minute tour around the UK Arctic Research Station at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard.
The UK Arctic Research Station is managed and operated by British Antarctic Survey and the NERC UK Arctic Office, and situated in the international research community at Ny-Ålesund on the high Arctic island of Spitsbergen, part of the Svalbard archipelago (Lat. 78°55'0"N, Long. 11°55'59"E)
Ny-Ålesund is reputedly the world’s northern-most community. It can be host to up to 150 people, it has a unique atmosphere kindled by scientists of various disciplines and nationalities living, working and cooperating in a beautiful, though sometimes harsh, environment.
Go on a virtual tour of Ny-Ålesund ⬇️
https://virtual.arctic.ac.uk/
Learn more about the station on the British Antarctic Survey Website ⬇️
https://www.bas.ac.uk/polar-operations/sites-and-facilities/facility/ny-alesund/
---
About British Antarctic Survey (BAS)
The polar regions may be at the ends of the Earth, but what happens there affects us all. We're committed to understanding our planet - and how humans are impacting the future of our home. British Antarctic Survey carries out and supports polar science for the UK, and in collaboration with science communities around the world.
X: https://www.twitter.com/BAS_News
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BritishAntarcticSurvey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/britishantarcticsurvey
#arctic #science #expedition
https://wn.com/Look_Inside_The_UK_Arctic_Research_Station_|_British_Antarctic_Survey
Have you ever wondered where scientists live and work when studying the Arctic? Wonder no longer! UK Arctic Station Leader, Iain Rudkin, takes you on a whistle-stop two minute tour around the UK Arctic Research Station at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard.
The UK Arctic Research Station is managed and operated by British Antarctic Survey and the NERC UK Arctic Office, and situated in the international research community at Ny-Ålesund on the high Arctic island of Spitsbergen, part of the Svalbard archipelago (Lat. 78°55'0"N, Long. 11°55'59"E)
Ny-Ålesund is reputedly the world’s northern-most community. It can be host to up to 150 people, it has a unique atmosphere kindled by scientists of various disciplines and nationalities living, working and cooperating in a beautiful, though sometimes harsh, environment.
Go on a virtual tour of Ny-Ålesund ⬇️
https://virtual.arctic.ac.uk/
Learn more about the station on the British Antarctic Survey Website ⬇️
https://www.bas.ac.uk/polar-operations/sites-and-facilities/facility/ny-alesund/
---
About British Antarctic Survey (BAS)
The polar regions may be at the ends of the Earth, but what happens there affects us all. We're committed to understanding our planet - and how humans are impacting the future of our home. British Antarctic Survey carries out and supports polar science for the UK, and in collaboration with science communities around the world.
X: https://www.twitter.com/BAS_News
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BritishAntarcticSurvey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/britishantarcticsurvey
#arctic #science #expedition
- published: 09 Nov 2023
- views: 1990
1:43
RRS Sir David Attenborough's first season in Antarctica
Take a look back at RRS Sir David Attenborough's first season South. The ship spent six months visiting BAS' research stations and completing science tasks on i...
Take a look back at RRS Sir David Attenborough's first season South. The ship spent six months visiting BAS' research stations and completing science tasks on its landmark maiden voyage to Antarctica.
https://wn.com/Rrs_Sir_David_Attenborough's_First_Season_In_Antarctica
Take a look back at RRS Sir David Attenborough's first season South. The ship spent six months visiting BAS' research stations and completing science tasks on its landmark maiden voyage to Antarctica.
- published: 05 Aug 2022
- views: 6503
1:01
Timelapse | Building a modern research station in Antarctica | British Antarctic Survey
Our Discovery Building is now weathertight! It's a new scientific support facility being constructed at Rothera Research Station, the UK's largest research and ...
Our Discovery Building is now weathertight! It's a new scientific support facility being constructed at Rothera Research Station, the UK's largest research and operations hub in Antarctica.
The team of around 54 on-site construction team members have been facing harsh weather conditions to complete this season’s programme of works before their planned departure in April. This timelapse shows the team adding the building's iconic blue cladding, and the new operations tower. When complete, the Discovery Building will replace several older buildings at Rothera Research Station and will support science in the region for at least the next 50 years.
The new Discovery Building will mean the British Antarctic Survey and our research partners can continue to deliver cutting-edge climate, biodiversity and ocean research and innovative science in Antarctica.
➡ Read this news story on the British Antarctic Survey website:
https://www.bas.ac.uk/media-post/exterior-complete-for-new-antarctic-science-and-operations-facility/
---
About British Antarctic Survey (BAS)
The polar regions may be at the ends of the Earth, but what happens there affects us all. We're committed to understanding our planet - and how humans are impacting the future of our home. British Antarctic Survey carries out and supports polar science for the UK, and in collaboration with science communities around the world.
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/BAS_News
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BritishAntarcticSurvey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/britishantarcticsurvey
#extremeengineering #Antarctica #buildingconstruction #collaboration #Rothera #sustainability #innovation
https://wn.com/Timelapse_|_Building_A_Modern_Research_Station_In_Antarctica_|_British_Antarctic_Survey
Our Discovery Building is now weathertight! It's a new scientific support facility being constructed at Rothera Research Station, the UK's largest research and operations hub in Antarctica.
The team of around 54 on-site construction team members have been facing harsh weather conditions to complete this season’s programme of works before their planned departure in April. This timelapse shows the team adding the building's iconic blue cladding, and the new operations tower. When complete, the Discovery Building will replace several older buildings at Rothera Research Station and will support science in the region for at least the next 50 years.
The new Discovery Building will mean the British Antarctic Survey and our research partners can continue to deliver cutting-edge climate, biodiversity and ocean research and innovative science in Antarctica.
➡ Read this news story on the British Antarctic Survey website:
https://www.bas.ac.uk/media-post/exterior-complete-for-new-antarctic-science-and-operations-facility/
---
About British Antarctic Survey (BAS)
The polar regions may be at the ends of the Earth, but what happens there affects us all. We're committed to understanding our planet - and how humans are impacting the future of our home. British Antarctic Survey carries out and supports polar science for the UK, and in collaboration with science communities around the world.
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/BAS_News
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BritishAntarcticSurvey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/britishantarcticsurvey
#extremeengineering #Antarctica #buildingconstruction #collaboration #Rothera #sustainability #innovation
- published: 04 Apr 2023
- views: 6659
2:11
Predicting sea-level rise: introducing SURFEIT | British Antarctic Survey
Are recent climate-linked extreme conditions in Antarctica one-off events? Or can we expect them to occur more often? Those are pretty crucial questions, becaus...
Are recent climate-linked extreme conditions in Antarctica one-off events? Or can we expect them to occur more often? Those are pretty crucial questions, because they change the forecast of how quickly ice sheets will melt, and how quickly sea levels will rise.
SURFEIT, or "Surface Fluxes in Antarctica" is a new UK National Capability project led by British Antarctic Survey to help predict sea level rise.
SURFEIT will bring together the international scientific community to analyse and model physical key processes in Antarctica in unprecedented detail. These processes include the formation of polar clouds, how warmer conditions influence snowfall, how liquid water and solid ice interact, and how to apply models and forecasts more precisely to smaller and more specific Antarctic regions.
Together, the research programme seeks to reduce the uncertainty in predicting ice sheet change and sea level rise at a time when society is facing the effects of climate change and policymakers need the best evidence on how Antarctica will contribute to this change. As such, an important part of the project is to pass on the findings to decision makers and the public as they become available.
Read more on the SURFEIT website: https://surfeit.ac.uk/
https://wn.com/Predicting_Sea_Level_Rise_Introducing_Surfeit_|_British_Antarctic_Survey
Are recent climate-linked extreme conditions in Antarctica one-off events? Or can we expect them to occur more often? Those are pretty crucial questions, because they change the forecast of how quickly ice sheets will melt, and how quickly sea levels will rise.
SURFEIT, or "Surface Fluxes in Antarctica" is a new UK National Capability project led by British Antarctic Survey to help predict sea level rise.
SURFEIT will bring together the international scientific community to analyse and model physical key processes in Antarctica in unprecedented detail. These processes include the formation of polar clouds, how warmer conditions influence snowfall, how liquid water and solid ice interact, and how to apply models and forecasts more precisely to smaller and more specific Antarctic regions.
Together, the research programme seeks to reduce the uncertainty in predicting ice sheet change and sea level rise at a time when society is facing the effects of climate change and policymakers need the best evidence on how Antarctica will contribute to this change. As such, an important part of the project is to pass on the findings to decision makers and the public as they become available.
Read more on the SURFEIT website: https://surfeit.ac.uk/
- published: 13 Dec 2023
- views: 550
0:57
Petermann Island during the Starlink Telemedicine research
During our research project in Antarctica, we managed to send data and livestream a video from Petermann Island.
We want to take a second a remember the 3 mem...
During our research project in Antarctica, we managed to send data and livestream a video from Petermann Island.
We want to take a second a remember the 3 members of the British Antarctic Survey who lost their live 14 August 1982 during a sea ice excursion their names are Ambrose Morgan, John Coll, Kevin Ockleton.
We are honored that we could take a small step in improving remote medical work at this special location.
https://wn.com/Petermann_Island_During_The_Starlink_Telemedicine_Research
During our research project in Antarctica, we managed to send data and livestream a video from Petermann Island.
We want to take a second a remember the 3 members of the British Antarctic Survey who lost their live 14 August 1982 during a sea ice excursion their names are Ambrose Morgan, John Coll, Kevin Ockleton.
We are honored that we could take a small step in improving remote medical work at this special location.
- published: 27 Feb 2024
- views: 9
1:34
Accidental discovery of extreme life | British Antarctic Survey
February 2021. Far underneath the ice shelves of the Antarctic, there’s more life than scientists expected...
During an exploratory survey, researchers drille...
February 2021. Far underneath the ice shelves of the Antarctic, there’s more life than scientists expected...
During an exploratory survey, researchers drilled through 900m of ice in the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf on the South Eastern Weddell Sea. 260 km away from the open ocean and under complete darkness and with temperatures of -2.2 °C, very few animals have ever been observed in these conditions. But this study is the first to discover the existence of stationary animals – like sponges and potentially several previously unknown species – attached to a boulder on the sea floor.
This is the first ever record of a "hard substrate" (eg. a boulder) community deep beneath an ice shelf - and it appears to go against all previous theories of what types of life could survive there.
Given the water currents in the region, the researchers calculate that this community may be as much as 1500km upstream from the closest source of light for photosynthesis. Other organisms are also known to collect nutrients from glacial melts or chemicals from methane seeps, but the researchers won’t know more about these organisms until they have the tools to collect samples of these organisms – a significant challenge in itself!
➡ Read this news story on the British Antarctic Survey website:
https://www.bas.ac.uk/media-post/discovery-of-life-beneath-antarcticas-ice-shelves/
---
About British Antarctic Survey (BAS)
The polar regions may be at the ends of the Earth, but what happens there affects us all. We're committed to understanding our planet - and how humans are impacting the future of our home. British Antarctic Survey carries out and supports polar science for the UK, and in collaboration with science communities around the world.
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/BAS_News
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BritishAntarcticSurvey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/britishantarcticsurvey
#antarctica #antarcticafacts #science #seacreatures #discovery #news
https://wn.com/Accidental_Discovery_Of_Extreme_Life_|_British_Antarctic_Survey
February 2021. Far underneath the ice shelves of the Antarctic, there’s more life than scientists expected...
During an exploratory survey, researchers drilled through 900m of ice in the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf on the South Eastern Weddell Sea. 260 km away from the open ocean and under complete darkness and with temperatures of -2.2 °C, very few animals have ever been observed in these conditions. But this study is the first to discover the existence of stationary animals – like sponges and potentially several previously unknown species – attached to a boulder on the sea floor.
This is the first ever record of a "hard substrate" (eg. a boulder) community deep beneath an ice shelf - and it appears to go against all previous theories of what types of life could survive there.
Given the water currents in the region, the researchers calculate that this community may be as much as 1500km upstream from the closest source of light for photosynthesis. Other organisms are also known to collect nutrients from glacial melts or chemicals from methane seeps, but the researchers won’t know more about these organisms until they have the tools to collect samples of these organisms – a significant challenge in itself!
➡ Read this news story on the British Antarctic Survey website:
https://www.bas.ac.uk/media-post/discovery-of-life-beneath-antarcticas-ice-shelves/
---
About British Antarctic Survey (BAS)
The polar regions may be at the ends of the Earth, but what happens there affects us all. We're committed to understanding our planet - and how humans are impacting the future of our home. British Antarctic Survey carries out and supports polar science for the UK, and in collaboration with science communities around the world.
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/BAS_News
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BritishAntarcticSurvey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/britishantarcticsurvey
#antarctica #antarcticafacts #science #seacreatures #discovery #news
- published: 15 Feb 2021
- views: 1265434