British Antarctic Survey

The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is the United Kingdom's national Antarctic operator and has an active role in Antarctic affairs. BAS is part of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and has over 400 staff. It operates five research stations, two ships and five aircraft in and around Antarctica.cite web| title=Who We Are| url=http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/about_bas/our_organisation/who_we_are.php| publisher=British Antarctic Survey| accessdate=2007-11-11] BAS addresses key global and regional issues. This involves joint research projects with over 40 UK universities and more than 120 national and international collaborations.

History

Operation Tabarin was a small British expedition in 1943 to establish permanently-occupied bases in the Antarctic. It was a joint undertaking by the Admiralty and the Colonial Office. At the end of the war it was renamed the Falkland 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 British Antarctic Survey in 1962, 19 stations and three refuges had been established. [cite web| url=http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/about_bas/our_history/stations_and_refuges/index.php| title=History| publisher=British Antarctic Survey| accessdate=2007-11-11]

The Antarctic explorer Sir Vivian Fuchs was Director of BAS from 1958 to 1973.

Bases

Bases in Antarctica

The BAS operates five permanent bases in the British Antarctic Territory:cite web | title = Research Stations in Antarctica | publisher = British Antarctic Survey | url = http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/living_and_working/research_stations/index.php | accessdate = 2007-12-31]

*Rothera Research Station on Adelaide Island
*Halley Research Station on the Brunt Ice Shelf
*Signy Research Station on Signy Island
*Fossil Bluff Logistics Facility on Alexander Island
*Sky Blu Logistics Facility in Ellsworth Land

Of these bases, only Rothera and Halley are manned throughout the year. The remaining bases are manned only during the Antarctic summer.

Bases on South Georgia

The BAS also operates two permanent bases on South Georgia:cite web | title = Research Stations in Antarctica | publisher = British Antarctic Survey | url = http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/living_and_working/research_stations/index.php | accessdate = 2007-12-31]

*King Edward Point Research Station at King Edward Point
*Bird Island Research Station on Bird Island

Both South Georgia bases are manned throughout the year.

Other sites

The headquarters of the BAS are in the United Kingdom, in the university city of Cambridge. This facility provides offices, laboratories and workshops to support the scientific and logistic activities in the Antarctic.cite web | title = BAS Cambridge | publisher = British Antarctic Survey | url = http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/about_bas/our_organisation/cambridge.php | accessdate = 2007-12-31]

The BAS also operates the Ny-Ålesund Research Station on behalf of the NERC. This is an Arctic research base located at Ny-Ålesund on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen.cite web | title = Ny-Ålesund Arctic Research Station | publisher = British Antarctic Survey | url = http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/living_and_working/research_stations/ny_alesund/index.php | accessdate = 2008-01-02]

Equipment

hips

BAS operates two ships in support of its Antarctic research program. Whilst both vessels have research and supply capabilities, the RRS "James Clark Ross" is primarily an oceanographic research ship, whilst the RRS "Ernest Shackleton" is primarily a logistics ship used for the resupply of scientific stations.cite web | url = http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/living_and_working/research_ships/index.php | title = Research Ships | publisher = British Antarctic Survey | accessdate = 2007-12-31]

Both 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. Both vessels undergo refit and drydock during the Antarctic winter, but are also used elsewhere during this period. The "James Clark Ross" often undertakes scientific research on behalf of other organisations in the Arctic, whilst "Ernest Shackleton" is chartered into commercial survey work.cite web | url = http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/living_and_working/research_ships/index.php | title = Research Ships | publisher = British Antarctic Survey | accessdate = 2007-12-31]

The two civilian ships operated by the BAS are complemented by the capabilities of HMS "Endurance", the Royal Navy's ice patrol vessel that operates in the same waters. The "Endurance's" two Lynx helicopters enable BAS staff to get to remote field sites that BAS aircraft cannot access.cite web | title = HMS Endurance - Ice Patrol Vessel | url = http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/living_and_working/research_ships/hms_endurance/index.php | publisher = British Antarctic Survey | accessdate = 2007-12-31]

Aircraft

BAS operates five aircraft in support of its research program in Antarctica. The aircraft used are all products of de Havilland Canada and comprise four Twin Otters and a single Dash 7. During the Antarctic summer the aircraft are based at the Rothera base, which has a 900 metre gravel runway. During the Antarctic winter conditions preclude flying and the aircraft return to the United Kingdom.cite web | title = Aircraft in Antarctica | url = http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/living_and_working/aircraft_and_vehicles/aircraft/index.php | publisher = British Antarctic Survey | accessdate = 2007-12-31]

The larger Dash 7 undertakes regular shuttle flights between either Port Stanley Airport on the Falkland Islands, or Punta 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.cite web | title = Aircraft in Antarctica | url = http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/living_and_working/aircraft_and_vehicles/aircraft/index.php | publisher = British Antarctic Survey | accessdate = 2007-12-31]

Findings

On January, 2008, the British Antarctic Survey (Bas) scientists led by Hugh Corr and David Vaughan, reported (in the journal Nature Geoscience) that 2,200 years ago, a volcano erupted under Antarctica ice sheet (based on airborne survey with radar images). The biggest eruption in the last 10,000 years, the volcanic ash was found deposited on the ice surface under the Hudson Mountains, close to Pine Island Glacier. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7194579.stm BBC NEWS, Ancient Antarctic eruption noted] ]

ee also

* British Antarctic Territory
* Faraday Research Station

References

External links

* [http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/ BAS homepage]
* [http://www.discoveringantarctica.org.uk/ Discovering Antarctica - teaching and learning resources on Antarctica]
* [http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/bas_research/ BAS science programmes]
* [http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/living_and_working/research_stations/ BAS research stations]
* [http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/bas_research/data/access/fossildatabase/ BAS Online Palaeontology Collection]