RRS Discovery the Ship That Never Stops
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'Landscapes of Exploration' Education Pack
Landscapes of Exploration February 11 – 31 March 2012 Peninsula Arts Gallery Education Pack Cover image courtesy of British Antarctic Survey Cover image: Launch of a radiosonde meteorological balloon by a scientist/meteorologist at Halley Research Station. Atmospheric scientists at Rothera and Halley Research Stations collect data about the atmosphere above Antarctica this is done by launching radiosonde meteorological balloons which have small sensors and a transmitter attached to them. The balloons are filled with helium and so rise high into the Antarctic atmosphere sampling the air and transmitting the data back to the station far below. A radiosonde meteorological balloon holds an impressive 2,000 litres of helium, giving it enough lift to climb for up to two hours. Helium is lighter than air and so causes the balloon to rise rapidly through the atmosphere, while the instruments beneath it sample all the required data and transmit the information back to the surface. - Permissions for information on radiosonde meteorological balloons kindly provided by British Antarctic Survey. For a full activity sheet on how scientists collect data from the air in Antarctica please visit the Discovering Antarctica website www.discoveringantarctica.org.uk and select resources www.discoveringantarctica.org.uk has been developed jointly by the Royal Geographical Society, with IBG0 and the British Antarctic Survey, with funding from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) supports geography in universities and schools, through expeditions and fieldwork and with the public and policy makers. Full details about the Society’s work, and how you can become a member, is available on www.rgs.org All activities in this handbook that are from www.discoveringantarctica.org.uk will be clearly identified. -
2. Disc Resources
An early map of the world Resource D1 A map of the world drawn in 1570 shows ‘Terra Australis Nondum Cognita’ (the unknown south land). National Library of Australia Expeditions to Antarctica 1770 –1830 and 1910 –1913 Resource D2 Voyages to Antarctica 1770–1830 1772–75 1819–20 1820–21 Cook (Britain) Bransfield (Britain) Palmer (United States) ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ Resolution and Adventure Williams Hero 1819 1819–21 1820–21 Smith (Britain) ▼ Bellingshausen (Russia) Davis (United States) ▼ ▼ ▼ Williams Vostok and Mirnyi Cecilia 1822–24 Weddell (Britain) ▼ Jane and Beaufoy 1830–32 Biscoe (Britain) ★ ▼ Tula and Lively South Pole expeditions 1910–13 1910–12 1910–13 Amundsen (Norway) Scott (Britain) sledge ▼ ▼ ship ▼ Source: Both maps American Geographical Society Source: Major voyages to Antarctica during the 19th century Resource D3 Voyage leader Date Nationality Ships Most southerly Achievements latitude reached Bellingshausen 1819–21 Russian Vostok and Mirnyi 69˚53’S Circumnavigated Antarctica. Discovered Peter Iøy and Alexander Island. Charted the coast round South Georgia, the South Shetland Islands and the South Sandwich Islands. Made the earliest sighting of the Antarctic continent. Dumont d’Urville 1837–40 French Astrolabe and Zeelée 66°S Discovered Terre Adélie in 1840. The expedition made extensive natural history collections. Wilkes 1838–42 United States Vincennes and Followed the edge of the East Antarctic pack ice for 2400 km, 6 other vessels confirming the existence of the Antarctic continent. Ross 1839–43 British Erebus and Terror 78°17’S Discovered the Transantarctic Mountains, Ross Ice Shelf, Ross Island and the volcanoes Erebus and Terror. The expedition made comprehensive magnetic measurements and natural history collections. -
UK Funding and National Facilities (Research Vessel Facilities and Equipment)
UK Funding and National Facilities (Research Vessel Facilities and Equipment) Lisa McNeill and the UK community National Oceanography Centre Southampton University of Southampton Research Council Funding • Natural Environment Research Council primary funding source – Part of Research Councils UK (RCUK) – Potential to apply to other RC programmes e.g., EPSRC (e.g. for engineering related technology development) • A: Responsive mode (blue skies). Includes Urgency Funds • B: Research Themes (part of current focus – increasingly strategic, applied and impact focused). Relevant themes: – Forecasting and mitigation of natural hazards (includes “Building resilience in earthquake-prone and volcanic regions”) – Earth System Science – Sustainable Use of Natural Resources • Increasing cross Research Council themes and programmes, e.g.: – Living With Environmental Change • Impact of current economy: – Reduction of overall NERC budget in real terms – Focused on significant capital budget reduction – “Protecting front line science” through various measures including efficiency savings – External funds to support major capital investments, e.g., RRS Discovery replacement – Maintaining share of the budget for responsive mode research funding, although implementing “demand management” IODP-UKIODP • UKIODP also funded through NERC, with associated research funding • This includes funds for site survey, post-cruise and other related research International Collaboration • Many examples of co-funded research • Usage of barter/joint agreements for research -
JOURNAL Number Six
THE JAMES CAIRD SOCIETY JOURNAL Number Six Antarctic Exploration Sir Ernest Shackleton MARCH 2012 1 Shackleton and a friend (Oliver Locker Lampson) in Cromer, c.1910. Image courtesy of Cromer Museum. 2 The James Caird Society Journal – Number Six March 2012 The Centennial season has arrived. Having celebrated Shackleton’s British Antarctic (Nimrod) Expedition, courtesy of the ‘Matrix Shackleton Centenary Expedition’, in 2008/9, we now turn our attention to the events of 1910/12. This was a period when 3 very extraordinary and ambitious men (Amundsen, Scott and Mawson) headed south, to a mixture of acclaim and tragedy. A little later (in 2014) we will be celebrating Sir Ernest’s ‘crowning glory’ –the Centenary of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic (Endurance) Expedition 1914/17. Shackleton failed in his main objective (to be the first to cross from one side of Antarctica to the other). He even failed to commence his land journey from the Weddell Sea coast to Ross Island. However, the rescue of his entire team from the ice and extreme cold (made possible by the remarkable voyage of the James Caird and the first crossing of South Georgia’s interior) was a remarkable feat and is the reason why most of us revere our polar hero and choose to be members of this Society. For all the alleged shenanigans between Scott and Shackleton, it would be a travesty if ‘Number Six’ failed to honour Captain Scott’s remarkable achievements - in particular, the important geographical and scientific work carried out on the Discovery and Terra Nova expeditions (1901-3 and 1910-12 respectively). -
Written Evidence Submitted by the British Antarctic Survey and NERC Arctic Office (CLI0009)
Written evidence submitted by the British Antarctic Survey and NERC Arctic Office (CLI0009) Summary The Polar Regions are the regions on Earth most sensitive to climate change. What happens in the remote Polar Regions affects every person on this planet through the inter-related complexities of our global Earth system. International collaboration and environmental diplomacy enable UK polar scientists to undertake world-class research in remote and challenging polar environments on topics such as climate change, environmental management, non-native species, biosecurity, sustainable fishing and tourism. The British Antarctic Survey and the NERC Arctic Office work closely with the FCO to deliver highly significant IPCC reports on climate change in the Polar Regions, and to enable participation in the Arctic Council’s Working Groups, Expert Groups and Taskforces. The FCO Polar Regions Department works with the UK and international science community on award-winning education programmes for schools, public and international audiences. Submitted by: Professor Dame Jane Francis, Director British Antarctic Survey Henry Burgess, Head of NERC Arctic Office Linda Capper, Head of Communications, British Antarctic Survey 1. The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is a Research Centre of the Natural Environment Research Council (UKRI-NERC) based in Cambridge, whose focus is science in the Polar Regions. In this role BAS works closely with the Polar Regions Department of the FCO. 2. The mission of BAS is to undertake world class science in the Polar Regions and to be the UK permanent presence in Antarctica and in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI). This is outlined in a formal MoU between BAS, UKRI-NERC, FCO, and BEIS. -
2021 Report for the First Stage of the Diversity in Polar Science Initiative
2021 REPORT FOR THE FIRST STAGE OF THE DIVERSITY IN POLAR SCIENCE INITIATIVE Written by Donna Frater 2021 Report for the first stage of the Diversity in Polar Science Initiative Contents PURPOSE................................................................................................................................................. 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................ 2 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 2 Steering Committee ........................................................................................................................... 3 British Antarctic Survey participants .................................................................................................. 4 Wider UK Polar community ............................................................................................................... 4 PROJECT OUTCOMES .............................................................................................................................. 4 KEY OUTCOMES EVALUATION ................................................................................................................ 5 PROGRESS OF THE INITIATIVE – ENGAGEMENT, AWARENESS AND IMPACT ....................................... 17 Engagement with key stakeholder groups and organisations ........................................................ -
The Centenary of the Scott Expedition to Antarctica and of the United Kingdom’S Enduring Scientific Legacy and Ongoing Presence There”
Debate on 18 October: Scott Expedition to Antarctica and Scientific Legacy This Library Note provides background reading for the debate to be held on Thursday, 18 October: “the centenary of the Scott Expedition to Antarctica and of the United Kingdom’s enduring scientific legacy and ongoing presence there” The Note provides information on Antarctica’s geography and environment; provides a history of its exploration; outlines the international agreements that govern the territory; and summarises international scientific cooperation and the UK’s continuing role and presence. Ian Cruse 15 October 2012 LLN 2012/034 House of Lords Library Notes are compiled for the benefit of Members of the House of Lords and their personal staff, to provide impartial, politically balanced briefing on subjects likely to be of interest to Members of the Lords. Authors are available to discuss the contents of the Notes with the Members and their staff but cannot advise members of the general public. Any comments on Library Notes should be sent to the Head of Research Services, House of Lords Library, London SW1A 0PW or emailed to [email protected]. Table of Contents 1.1 Geophysics of Antarctica ....................................................................................... 1 1.2 Environmental Concerns about the Antarctic ......................................................... 2 2.1 Britain’s Early Interest in the Antarctic .................................................................... 4 2.2 Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration ....................................................................... -
Inhomogeneity of the Surface Air Temperature Record from Halley, Antarctica
15 JUNE 2021 K I N G E T A L . 4771 Inhomogeneity of the Surface Air Temperature Record from Halley, Antarctica a a a a a a JOHN C. KING, JOHN TURNER, STEVE COLWELL, HUA LU, ANDREW ORR, TONY PHILLIPS, a a J. SCOTT HOSKING, AND GARETH J. MARSHALL a British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, United Kingdom (Manuscript received 25 September 2020, in final form 10 March 2021) ABSTRACT: Commencing in 1956, observations made at Halley Research Station in Antarctica provide one of the longest continuous series of near-surface temperature observations from the Antarctic continent. Since few other records of comparable length are available, the Halley record has been used extensively in studies of long-term Antarctic climate variability and change. The record does not, however, come from a single location but is a composite of observations from a sequence of seven stations, all situated on the Brunt Ice Shelf, that range from around 10 to 50 km in distance from the coast. Until now, it has generally been assumed that temperature data from all of these stations could be combined into a single composite record with no adjustment. Here, we examine this assumption of homogeneity. Application of a statistical changepoint algorithm to the composite record detects a sudden cooling associated with the move from Halley IV to Halley V station in 1992. We show that this temperature step is consistent with local temperature gradients measured by a network of automatic weather stations and with those simulated by a high-resolution atmospheric model. These temperature gradients are strongest in the coastal region and result from the onshore advection of maritime air. -
Travel to and from Antarctica: 2019/20
Travel To and From Antarctica: 2019/20 Coronavirus and travel to Antarctica All individuals who have recently visited China should be in quarantine/self-isolation and symptom free for 2 weeks before traveling to Antarctica or joining a BAS ship. Any recent travel to China should be identified to the BAS Polar Operations Support Team. Any deploying personnel should not travel with any flu-like illness. If you later develop any symptoms please contact the ship/station Doctor or contact BASMU. General advice can be found at: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019 1. General: a. Travel by the most direct and convenient route at the start of your tour to Antarctica will be arranged for you by British Antarctic Survey (BAS). You will not normally have the option to make your own arrangements for travelling south. If this is likely to cause you significant inconvenience, please contact the Polar Operations Support Team as soon as possible, contact details at the end of this notice. b. You will be able to view your planned travel via the SOUTH database. For those external to BAS, a password and link to view your travel remotely will be provided by early September 2019. c. It is an individual’s responsibility to obtain any required visas. All non-UK citizens are advised to check whether they need visas for entry (even in transit) for Chile, South Africa and Falkland Islands. d. Approximately 2 weeks before your planned departure date, the Support Team will contact you by e-mail with travel details for the southbound journey. -
BAS Science Summaries 2018-2019 Antarctic Field Season
BAS Science Summaries 2018-2019 Antarctic field season BAS Science Summaries 2018-2019 Antarctic field season Introduction This booklet contains the project summaries of field, station and ship-based science that the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is supporting during the forthcoming 2018/19 Antarctic field season. I think it demonstrates once again the breadth and scale of the science that BAS undertakes and supports. For more detailed information about individual projects please contact the Principal Investigators. There is no doubt that 2018/19 is another challenging field season, and it’s one in which the key focus is on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) and how this has changed in the past, and may change in the future. Three projects, all logistically big in their scale, are BEAMISH, Thwaites and WACSWAIN. They will advance our understanding of the fragility and complexity of the WAIS and how the ice sheets are responding to environmental change, and contributing to global sea-level rise. Please note that only the PIs and field personnel have been listed in this document. PIs appear in capitals and in brackets if they are not present on site, and Field Guides are indicated with an asterisk. Non-BAS personnel are shown in blue. A full list of non-BAS personnel and their affiliated organisations is shown in the Appendix. My thanks to the authors for their contributions, to MAGIC for the field sites map, and to Elaine Fitzcharles and Ali Massey for collating all the material together. Thanks also to members of the Communications Team for the editing and production of this handy summary. -
Download Factsheet
Antarctic Factsheet Geographical Statistics May 2005 AREA % of total Antarctica - including ice shelves and islands 13,829,430km2 100.00% (Around 58 times the size of the UK, or 1.4 times the size of the USA) Antarctica - excluding ice shelves and islands 12,272,800km2 88.74% Area ice free 44,890km2 0.32% Ross Ice Shelf 510,680km2 3.69% Ronne-Filchner Ice Shelf 439,920km2 3.18% LENGTH Antarctic Peninsula 1,339km Transantarctic Mountains 3,300km Coastline* TOTAL 45,317km 100.00% * Note: coastlines are fractal in nature, so any Ice shelves 18,877km 42.00% measurement of them is dependant upon the scale at which the data is collected. Coastline Rock 5,468km 12.00% lengths here are calculated from the most Ice coastline 20,972km 46.00% detailed information available. HEIGHT Mean height of Antarctica - including ice shelves 1,958m Mean height of Antarctica - excluding ice shelves 2,194m Modal height excluding ice shelves 3,090m Highest Mountains 1. Mt Vinson (Ellsworth Mts.) 4,892m 2. Mt Tyree (Ellsworth Mts.) 4,852m 3. Mt Shinn (Ellsworth Mts.) 4,661m 4. Mt Craddock (Ellsworth Mts.) 4,650m 5. Mt Gardner (Ellsworth Mts.) 4,587m 6. Mt Kirkpatrick (Queen Alexandra Range) 4,528m 7. Mt Elizabeth (Queen Alexandra Range) 4,480m 8. Mt Epperly (Ellsworth Mts) 4,359m 9. Mt Markham (Queen Elizabeth Range) 4,350m 10. Mt Bell (Queen Alexandra Range) 4,303m (In many case these heights are based on survey of variable accuracy) Nunatak on the Antarctic Peninsula 1/4 www.antarctica.ac.uk Antarctic Factsheet Geographical Statistics May 2005 Other Notable Mountains 1. -
Polar Exploration Books
Polar Exploration Books Item 23 The book for our times … …the ultimate self- isolation experience ! Catalogue: URQUHART KINGSBRIDGE BOOKS Winter 2020/21 Horswell Coach House South Milton Kingsbridge Devon TQ7 3JU Tel: 01548 561798 Overseas Tel: +44 1 548 561798 [email protected] www.kingsbridgebooks.co.uk Polar Exploration Books Winter 2020/21 Ordering We welcome orders by post, e-mail or phone (between the hours of 8 am and 9pm UK time, please) New customers may be asked to send payment in advance Terms Prices exclude postage/shipping Payment may be made by £ sterling, Euro or US $ cheque A charge will need to be made to cover the costs of currency conversion Please make cheques payable to ‘Kingsbridge Books’ Payment can be transferred direct into my bank via the internet or into my PayPal account. Please ask for details. Sorry, but in order to keep costs low, we do not accept debit or credit cards Overseas parcels will normally be sent Parcel Force International Standard Please pay promptly on receipt of books It is important to me that you are pleased with the books you receive. Any book can be returned in the same condition within 7 days of receipt, if found to be unsatisfactory Buying We are always interested in buying books and ephemera on polar exploration and happy to pay you a visit Paul and Andrea Davies KINGSBRIDGE BOOKS Horswell Coach House South Milton Kingsbridge Devon TQ7 3JU Tel: 01548 561798 Overseas Tel: +44 1 548 561798 [email protected] www.kingsbridgebooks.co.uk * We are members of the PBFA association of booksellers and regularly exhibit at fairs around the country.