British Antarctic Survey 🐧

A large blue industrial building with a tower on the roof and containers sitting beside it.

The handrails and stairs at the side of a large blue building.

Bright red interior stairwell inside a building.

Bright yellow stairwell inside a building.

Work to modernise our facilities at Rothera Research Station continues. More of the Discovery building is now in use, and several older buildings have been deconstructed as the station transforms. These improvements will support Antarctic science for decades to come:
www.bas.ac.uk/news/6-march...

Scientists have discovered that the shrinking sea ice in the Antarctic force penguins to crowd into smaller patches of stable ice to moult.

On #WorldWildlifeDay, explore how researchers from @bas.ac.uk are studying this phenomenon using satellites imagery: bit.ly/40K4iQI

🎧 New episode of Iceworld

Did you know that Antarctica is the world’s largest desert? ❄️ Meet Zelna and Charlotte, researchers who’ve just returned from two months living in this desert of snow.

Curious what it’s like to live in the middle of nowhere?

Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Accidental discovery reveals grim future for emperor penguins - British Antarctic Survey Scientists studying satellite images of Antarctica have stumbled upon a discovery that sheds new light on moulting emperor penguins – and reveals a troubling threat to their survival.

Here's the full story on our website:
www.bas.ac.uk/news/acciden...

And here's the paper in Communications Earth & Environment:
www.nature.com/articles/s43...

A big group of emperor penguins and chicks photographed at Snow Hill Island (Credit: Peter Fretwell/BAS)

Last year, in 2025, the conditions were much better.

But BAS emperor penguin expert Dr Peter Fretwell @ptfretwell.bsky.social has only spotted a small proportion of the penguins we'd normally see.

These penguins haven't yet been spotted elsewhere, suggesting that thousands of penguins died.

The coastline is Marie Byrd Land, a remote area of West Antarctica which historically has retained its sea ice through the summer.

It's where 40% of emperor penguins migrate to safely shed their feathers.

But 2022-24, sea ice in the region shrank from an area the size of Spain to almost nothing.

A moulting penguin trying to look dignified. There's a big patch of long thick and fluffy looking feathers still attached over its shoulder and back, but underneath are low-profile smooth feathers (Credit: NSF)

Emperor penguins replace their feathers all in one go.

It takes up to 40 days, burns half their body weight in energy, and leaves them completely unable to enter the water until new feathers come through.

If the ice breaks up before they're done, they will likely freeze and die.

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This satellite footage shows the days in early 2023 when the ice literally disappeared from beneath the feet of thousands of emperor penguins.

And here's the issue: they were likely moulting at the time.

Welcome to Marie Bryd Land, Antarctica...

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@bas.ac.uk achieves Silver Carbon Literate Organisation status.🇦🇶👏

From adapting IT systems to integrating carbon accounting into field projects, emissions reduction is built into everyday work.

Proof that climate action is possible anywhere, with the right tools.

Read their story: bit.ly/4ruqs5C

Summer at Halley Research Station in 60 seconds ⏰

Our ice shelf research station has now gone into hibernation for another year! Congrats to the station team for all their hard work through the Antarctic summer months.

Two people in orange cold-weather gear standing beside a red British Antarctic Survey plane on a tarmac under a partly cloudy sky.

🎧 New episode of Iceworld

What does it take to keep aircraft flying at the bottom of the world? Meet Eli and Jeremie, aircraft engineers maintaining our beloved Twin Otters in Antarctica. Think ski landing, sastrugi & snags.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

#Antarctica #Podcast #Aviation

This lot are off to have a whale of a time at this year's World Whale Day party 🎉

🐋 Take a moment to watch them go about their business in the knowledge that since commercial whaling was banned in 1986, populations have been bouncing back.

Images collected under scientific permit.
#WorldWhaleDay

📅 Save the date!

Join us on Saturday 21 March 2026 for a free, family-friendly open day as part of the Cambridge Festival lineup.

🎟️ Free tickets dropping soon - watch this space!
📍 British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET
🕙 21st March 10am - 4pm

Archive number/credit: (1-2) BAS, (3) BAS G64/3/2/C/53, Sally Elizabeth Poncet, (4) BAS AD6193Td83, NERC, (5) BAS AD6193Td40, (6) BAS G6432A20, Sally Elizabeth Poncet

A pyramid tent set up in a snow covered landscape. There is equipment outside the tent as well as a line of footprints in the snow.

A person inside a tent is writing in a journal. There is a stove beside with a pot on the top.

These tangible reminders honour the generations of scientists, engineers, and support teams who've braved the Antarctic extremes to advance our understanding of the planet.

A large blue building with a tower on the roof.

A glass wall inside a building showcasing vintage items such as an Antarctic sledge, old door, sewing machine and blue kit box. There is a small table and chairs in front of the wall.

Two people in a snow covered landscape, one is on a sledge and the other is beside a tripod.

A person sits on top of a large blue box on top of snow covered ground. There are two other blue boxes beside them and a spade standing upright in the snow.

As Rothera research station evolves, we’re making sure the stories of those who've gone before us aren't left behind.

Step inside our new Discovery Building and you’ll also find something unexpected: a heritage wall showcasing field kit that’s been trusted for over a century.

Who doesn’t love a massive iceberg? 💙 There’s something deeply compelling about these frozen giants and that's why they are the subject of this month's BAS Long Read feature.

Intrigued? Settle in for the full story over on our website👇
https://tinyurl.com/yy9xsxfh

#icebergs #valentinesday

Major earthquakes don't run to timetable, 6,000-year study reveals - British Antarctic Survey "Overdue earthquake" myth busted: large earthquakes arrive in unpredictable bursts and lulls, overturning existing prediction models.

Here's the full story:
www.bas.ac.uk/media-post/m...

Major earthquakes don’t run to timetable ⏰

BAS' Dr Zakaria Ghazoui-Schaus has overturned a common assumption about earthquake prediction: that major earthquakes follow predictable cycles, and that regions can be ‘overdue’ for the next big one.

This has big consequences for disaster planning ⬇️

Postcard from Rothera Research Station: January 2026 - British Antarctic Survey Rothera Research Station has been a hive of activity since our last postcard with science and operations underway, VIP and media visits and the season of construction progressing well as we modernise ...

🔗 www.bas.ac.uk/media-post/p...

A large blue industrial building surrounded by construction materials and a large crane with snowy mountains and an icy sea landscape in the background.

Rothera’s off to a flying start in 2026. The new Discovery Building is open and the community on station is keeping everything running smoothly!

If you fancy the full story, modernisation progress, heritage moments and collaboration then our latest Postcard update has you covered ❄️📬

To go under Thwaites Glacier, the only way is through ⬇️

This intrepid UK-Korean science team are tunnelling 1000m through one of the world's most unstable ice shelves.

They'll get daily data showing how warm ocean water is melting Thwaites from below - crucial for predicting sea level rise.

A side profile of an Antarctic fur seal - you can see it's thick coat, long whiskers sweeping away from it's face.

What next? The scientists will take samples to be screened for antibodies by a team at Cornell University.

This shows if seals have been exposed and developed immunity to the virus.

Together with the drone counts, this will pain a picture of the impact of bird flu on Antarctic fur seals.

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A drone view of a seal colony from above. The seals are fairly small dots, which would take lots of time to count and categorise correctly.

The same satellite view is now using a thermal imaging camera. It's black and white and the seals stand out as big red seal shapes, which makes counting faster.

This December, scientists used drones to count seal populations at sites affected by bird flu.

The drone has a thermal camera which makes spotting the seals much easier!

(Spoiler, sorry, we don't have new numbers to share yet)

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A fur seal looks directly at the camera.

The other factor? Diseases such as bird flu can also affect the number of Antarctic fur seals.

Last year scientists observed high fur seal mortality due to bird flu. Male seals and pups seemed to be more affected than female seals.

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A fur seal basks on the water's edge. It is sitting up on it's front flippers, nose in the air so it has a rough cone shape. The waters behind it are calm, with small green rocky outcrops behind that.

...but their numbers paint a much bigger picture:

Antarctic fur seals rely on krill for food 🦐

By monitoring fur seals, scientists can tell how much krill is available. This tells us how the whole ecosystem is doing, because they are a keystone species for penguins, seabirds, and whales.

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A fur seal in tussock grass - mouth open, in a way that looks like they are looking up at the sky in surprise.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Wait... It's scientists with a thermal imaging drone! 🦭

The team at King Edward Point Research Station in South Georgia have been monitoring the population of Antarctic fur seals.

Why? Well, fur seal numbers can change due to food factors or disease...

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Scientist in a white lab coat and gloves working with a laboratory instrument in a modern research lab filled with equipment and a laptop.

Two researchers in cold-weather gear examining samples on a rocky, snowy slope near a body of water.

Are you a UK researcher who wants to carry out a small-scale fieldwork project at our Antarctic research stations or on board our polar research ship?

📅 Deadline for applications is 4pm, 31 March 2026

Find out more on our website: https://ow.ly/aE5Q50Y3P5O

📸 Chris Walton & Nina Kinney

We promise his actual surname is genuinely Coolman.

Current Vacancies - British Antarctic Survey Check out the latest British Antarctic Survey jobs

Fancy Phill's Antarctic job?

Our carpentry roles will be advertised at the end of March, current planned date is 30 March.

⏰ Set your alarm clocks!
www.bas.ac.uk/jobs/vacanci...