Cambridge, 28 April 2025: The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is hosting a two-day kick-off meeting this week to launch the ambitious new £8.4 million PRESCIENT programme. This major initiative, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), marks a significant investment in the UK's polar science capabilities.
Jointly delivered by BAS and the UK Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (CPOM) led from at Northumbria University, PRESCIENT will provide critical infrastructure and data to support research into the polar regions' response to environmental change, their role in global sea-level rise and space weather impacts measured from Antarctica.
The funding, awarded through NERC's National Capability Single Centre Science and National Public Good initiatives, supports long-term strategic science that underpins the UK's role in global environmental monitoring and decision-making.
Professor Dominic Hodgson is the interim Director of Science at BAS. He says:
"This funding is essential to underpin future research programmes in the polar regions. Our planet is changing rapidly due to human activities, so it is critically important that we monitor and understand how the polar regions are reacting. It's the changes there, such as loss of the ice sheets and threats to its fragile biodiversity, that will impact the rest of the planet. This programme will help us guide governments and society on how to adapt to a changing world."
Professor Andrew Shepherd is the CPOM Director. He says:
"PRESCIENT provides a new way of working, and is an exciting opportunity to align UK leadership on polar science that will allow us to develop our long-term capabilities. With Earth's ice melting at unprecedented rates, it's crucial to maintain and improve observations and models of the polar regions as this will make sure that our policymakers will have reliable information on which to act. PRESCIENT is vital in this regard, and will underpin efforts to make polar science sustainable in a Net Zero world."
PRESCIENT focuses on four interconnected research themes:
- Polar and mountain climate data records
Activities will include year-round climate observations on the Antarctic Peninsula, ice core analysis for historical climate insight, airborne atmospheric sensing using autonomous systems, enhanced satellite data processing for sea ice monitoring and prediction, improved sea ice modelling, and snowfall monitoring networks in mountain regions.
- Southern Ocean biological observatories
Long-term biological studies will assess how plankton ecosystems are responding to climate stressors like warming seas, changing ice conditions, and pollution. Novel tools including environmental DNA (eDNA) and autonomous platforms will be deployed to advance research.
- Antarctica's contribution to sea-level rise
Capabilities will be strengthened to improve predictions of future ice loss and global sea level change. This includes satellite data processing, land ice modelling in the UK's Earth System Model (UKESM), airborne radar, hot water drilling systems, and sustained ocean observations beneath ice shelves.
- Space weather observatory
PRESCIENT will expand BAS's Antarctic space weather network, providing crucial data during the 2025 solar maximum and beyond to inform the UK's National Risk Register.
Supporting national and global priorities
PRESCIENT will also accelerate BAS's transition to low-carbon science delivery, advancing the use of autonomous airborne systems such as those developed in the WINDRACERS project. It will also ensure the delivery of independent, high-quality science advice to government, industry, and society to address pressing global challenges like pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss.
This programme represents a cornerstone of the UK's environmental science strategy, reinforcing the country's leadership in understanding and responding to rapid changes in the Earth's polar systems.
