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| Abbreviation | BAS |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1962 |
| Legal status | Government organisation |
| Purpose | Scientific research and surveys in theAntarctic,Arctic & related regions |
| Headquarters | Cambridge,Cambridgeshire, England |
Region served | United Kingdom |
Director | ProfessorDame Jane Francis |
Parent organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
| Budget | £48,053,000 (2011–12)[1] |
| Staff | 400+ staff |
| Website | www |
TheBritish Antarctic Survey (BAS) is the United Kingdom's national polar research institute. It has a dual purpose, to conduct polar science, enabling better understanding ofglobal issues, and to provide an active presence in theAntarctic on behalf of the UK. It is part of theNatural Environment Research Council (NERC). With over 400 staff, BAS takes an active role in Antarctic affairs, operating fiveresearch stations, one ship and five aircraft in both polar regions,[2] as well as addressing key global and regional issues. This involves joint research projects with over 40 UK universities and more than 120 national and international collaborations.
Having taken shape from activities duringWorld War II, it was known as theFalkland Islands Dependencies Survey until 1962.
Operation Tabarin was a small British expedition in 1943 to establish permanently occupied bases in the Antarctic. It was a joint undertaking by theAdmiralty and theColonial Office. At the end of the war it was renamed theFalkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) and full control passed to the Colonial Office. At this time there were four stations, three occupied and one unoccupied. By the time FIDS was renamed the British Antarctic Survey in 1962, 19 stations and three refuges had been established.[3]
In 2012 the parent body,NERC, proposed merging the BAS with another NERC institute,National Oceanography Centre in Southampton.[4] This proved controversial, and after theHouse of Commons Science and Technology Committee opposed the move[5] the plan was dropped.[6] Since April 2018 NERC has been part of UK Research and Innovation.[7]
In 1956, the FID Scientific Bureau and FIDS Rear Base were combined into a single FIDS London Office, with a Director for the first time responsible for the whole London operation.[8]
| Portrait | Director | Term start | Term end |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raymond Priestley | 1956 | 1958 | |
.jpg) | Vivian Fuchs | 1958 | 1973 |
| Richard Laws | 1973 | 1987 | |
 | David Drewry | 1987 | 1994 |
| Barry Heywood | 1994 | 1997[9] |
 | Chris Rapley | 1998 | 2007 |
| Nick Owens | 2007 | 2012 |
| Alan Rodger | 2012 | 2013 | |
.png) | Jane Francis | 2013 | Incumbent |
The BAS operates five permanent research stations in theBritish Antarctic Territory:
Of these Research Stations, only Rothera is staffed throughout the year.[10] Before 2017 Halley was also open year-round.[11]
The BAS also operates two permanent bases onSouth Georgia:[12]
Both South Georgia bases are staffed throughout the year.
The headquarters of the BAS are in the university city ofCambridge, onMadingley Road. This facility provides offices, laboratories and workshops to support the scientific and logistic activities in the Antarctic.[13]
The BAS also operates theNy-Ålesund Research Station on behalf of theNERC. This is anArctic research base located atNy-Ålesund on the Norwegian island ofSpitsbergen.[14]
As of 2021, the Survey operates one ship, theRRS Sir David Attenborough, for support of Arctic and Antarctic research operations, and other logistical work.[15] It replacedRRS James Clark Ross andRRS Ernest Shackleton, which were sold in 2021 and returned to its owners in 2019, respectively. Originally, theAdmiralty provided the FIDS[nb 1] with ship support. In 1947 the Survey purchased their first vessel, which was named MV John Biscoe, and in 1953 the same ship was grantedRoyal Research Ship status. Since then the Survey has owned and chartered several vessels.[16][17]
Vessels depart from the United Kingdom in September or October of each year and return to the United Kingdom in the following May or June. Vessels undergo refit and drydock during the Antarctic winter, but are also used elsewhere during this period.[citation needed]
The civilian ships operated by the BAS are complemented by the capabilities of theRoyal Navy's ice patrol vessel that operates in the same waters. Until 2008 this wasHMS Endurance, a Class 1A1icebreaker.Endurance's twoLynx helicopters enabled BAS staff to get to remote field sites that BAS aircraft could not access.[18] However, acatastrophic flooding accident leftEndurance badly damaged, with a replacement only being procured in 2011. This ship,HMS Protector, first deployed to the Antarctic in November 2011.[19]
.jpg)
BAS operates five aircraft in support of its research programme inAntarctica. The aircraft used are all made byde Havilland Canada and comprise fourTwin Otters and oneDash 7 (as of August 2019).[20] The planes are maintained by Rocky Mountain Aircraft inSpringbank,Alberta,Canada. During the Antarctic summer the aircraft are based at theRothera base, which has a 900-metre gravel runway. During the Antarctic winter, conditions preclude flying and the aircraft return to Canada.[21]
The larger Dash 7 undertakes regular shuttle flights between eitherPort Stanley Airport on theFalkland Islands, orPunta Arenas in Chile, and Rothera. It also operates to and from the ice runway at the Sky Blu base. The smaller Twin Otters are equipped with skis for landing on snow and ice in remote areas, and operate out of the bases at Rothera, Fossil Bluff, Halley and Sky Blu.[21]
In 1985, the British Antarctic Survey discovered thehole in the ozone layer over Antarctica. The finding was made by a team of three BAS scientists:Joe Farman,Brian Gardiner andJonathan Shanklin. Their work was confirmed by satellite data, and was met with worldwide concern.[22]
In January 2008, a team of British Antarctic Survey scientists, led by Hugh Corr andDavid Vaughan, reported that 2,200 years ago, avolcano erupted under Antarctica's ice sheet (based onairborne survey with radar images). The biggest eruption in the last 10,000 years, the volcanic ash was found deposited on the ice surface under theHudson Mountains, close toPine Island Glacier.[23]
In 2020, a team reported thatemperor penguin colonies inAntarctica were nearly 20% more numerous than previously thought, with new discoveries made using satellite mapping technology.[24][25]
The BAS runs an onlinepolar image collection which includes imagery of scientific research at the poles, logistics operations, and the continent and its wildlife. The image collection is run by British cameraman and photographer Pete Bucktrout, who has visited the continent eleven times during his 24 years working for BAS. His work has been seen in newspapers and on television around the world.
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