By Dr Kate Winter, Elena Field, Dr Adrian Fox, from the Antarctic Placenames Committee What’s in a name? Does Washington DC gain a certain something extra by being named after the first president of the United States of America? Would it matter if the new British Antarctic Research Survey ship had been named Boaty McBoatface […]
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Isabelle Wicks What is blue ice? Most the surface of Antarctica is covered in snow and firn (snow that has survived at least one melt season) (see firn). However, in mountainous regions and around the coast of Antarctica, areas of blue ice can be found1. Most blue ice is very old glacial ice that has
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How is climate change affecting the Antarctic Peninsula? And how will the Antarctic Peninsula change under future climate? These questions are tackled in Davies et al. 2026, which analyses climate model outputs for three scenarios: SSPs 1-2.6, SSP3-7.0 and SSP 5-8.5. These reflect a sustainable future, a medium-high emissions future and a high emissions future
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This video, produced by Time for Geography and starring Dr David Small and Dr Bethan Davies, introduces the key concepts of floating versus land ice in Antarctica, and how this will contribute to sea level rise. This video was award a 2023 Silver Publishers Award by the Geographical Association.
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This page includes a series of four Antarctica StoryMap Collections introducing Antarctica, launched as a complete collection in September 2021. They are suitable for UK key stage 3 to GCSE (age ~14 to 16). However, they can easily be adapted by a teacher for older age groups and form the basis of discussion. The Antarctica
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When you think of an iceberg you might think of a large floating block of white ice which is detached from a glacier or ice shelf. Well, instead they can be a range of different colours from white, blue and even green! What is an Iceberg? Icebergs are large blocks of ice which break away (clave) from a glacier or
This page introduces some of the ways in which people live, work and visit Antarctica, and how we govern this mighty, and beautiful, continent. You can also explore our People in Antarctica StoryMap Collection for an interactive timeline on the history of people in Antarctica, Antarctic Geopolitics, Tourism and Living in Antarctica. See also our
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Antarctica is a vast ice sheet. The continent is larger than the United States of America, and has enough ice to raise global sea levels by ~58 m if it all melted. It is extremely cold, with very little surface melt. However, it is changing rapidly. Parts of West Antarctica are grounded well below sea
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Introducing the Antarctica StoryMap Series This page includes a series of four Antarctica StoryMap Collections introducing Antarctica, launched as a complete collection in September 2021. They are suitable for UK key stage 3 to GCSE (age ~14 to 16). The Antarctica StoryMap Series comprises 18 individual StoryMaps, arranged into four Antarctica StoryMap Collections, forming a
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Discovering Antarctica is an interactive website and resource developed by the British Antarctic Survey and the Royal Geographical Society. It has a host of features suitable for an introductory level to Antarctica (~11-14 years; UK key stage 3). There is a number of resources, including ecosystems and food webs, science and exploration, tourism, challenges, and
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