National Capability - Polar Expertise Supporting UK Research

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The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is NERC's world-leading hub for polar science, addressing issues of key global importance and helping society adapt to a changing world. Using funding from a variety of sources, BAS delivers science programmes across a range of disciplines, always focussing on globally significant questions, and always on solutions. BAS science looks to the polar regions and beyond to understand the Earth System, in the past, present and in the future, and the influence of and impact on society.Under National Capability Science Single Centre (NCSS) funding NERC's British Antarctic Survey will deliver a portfolio of underpinning activities that will provide a backbone for UK environmental science. This will include four portfolios of Sustained Observation focused on crucial Earth System indicators in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. It will also ensure the availability of four Key Capabilities (instruments, facilities and expertise) that are unique to BAS, and are of prime underpinning importance to the future success of UK science. Sustained Observations:SO1 - Rothera Time Series (RaTS) - An integrated suite of oceanographic and biochemistry variables (e.g. temperature, salinity, macronutrients, chlorophyll) collected at a key site of rapid climate warming and high inter-annual variability on the Antarctic Peninsula. These data sustain a wide range of research by UK and international collaborators.SO2 - Scotia Sea Open-Ocean Biological laboratories (SCOOBIES) - Measurements of the uptake and sequestration carbon dioxide by the ocean within the largest hotspot of primary productivity in the Southern Ocean. These data provide key information on the potential for the ocean to absorb and lock up human emissions of carbon dioxide, and will inform major NERC and international programmes on biogeochemical cycles, climate change, ocean acidification, and micro-plastics transport.SO3 - Ocean Forcing of Ice-sheet Change (OFIC) - In situ measurement of ocean-heat delivery to the most rapidly-retreating parts of the Antarctic ice sheet using oceanographic moorings and bespoke radar systems. This unique dataset records changes in the major driver of Antarctic ice-loss, informing ice-sheet and global sea-level projections.SO4 - Space Weather Observatory (SWO) - Year-round observation of space weather events acquired at key sites (e.g. Halley VI Research Station) improve our understanding of the complex chain of Sun-to-Earth processes. They underpin assessment of the likely impact of severe space weather events and the design of mitigation guidelines.Key Capabilities:KC1 - Ice-core acquisition and analysis - the unique resources provided by BAS provides UK researcher, and their international collaborators with the ability to recover and analyse ice cores (up to 1000 m). We will provide ice core drills for deployment around the world, and state-of-the-art laboratories in Cambridge capable of a wide range of climatologically and environmentally-relevant chemical, gas, and stable isotope analyses.KC2 Sub-glacial access and sampling - BAS leads the world in hot-water drilling through ice. We will provide the hardware and expertise to access subglacial environments around the world, and the ocean cavity and seabed beneath ice shelves in the polar regions. In addition, we provide a suite of borehole sensors and cameras, water-sampling, and down-hole sediment corers.KC3 Airborne geophysics - BAS will deliver an airborne geophysical capability deployed on low-cost piloted and autonomous aircraft. This instrument suite includes gravimeter, magnetometers, and ice-penetrating radar, which can be flown with LIDAR in support. KC4 Airborne meteorological and atmospheric instrument suite (MASIN) - BAS will deliver an instrumented aircraft with suite of atmospheric instruments and scientific expertise ready-to-support grants, collaborations, and strategic programmes.