British Antarctic Survey

Rhoades D (1979) Evolution of plant chemical defenses against herbivores. In Rosenthal GA, Janzen DH (eds) Herbivores. Academic, New York, pp 4-54 Richardson MG (1971) The ecology and physiological aspects of Antarctic weed dwelling amphi-pods (Preliminary report, II). British Antarctic Survey Report N9/1971(-72)/H l-16 Richardson MG (1975) The dietary composition of some Antarctic fish. Br Antarct Surv Bull 41/42 113-120... 

Mean atmospheric 03 at Halley in Antarctica in October. Dobson units are defined in Problem 18-13. [From J. D. Shanklin, British Antarctic Survey, http //www.antarctica.ac.uk/mel/ids/ozone/]... 

In 1985, the British Antarctic Survey reported that the total ozone in the Antarctic stratosphere had decreased by 50% in early spring, relative to levels observed in the preceding 20 years. Ground, airborne, and satellite observations have since shown that this ozone hole occurs only in early spring (Figure 1-1) and continued to deepen until the year 2000. 

Everson, I. (1970). The population dynamics and energy budget of Notothenia neglecta of Signy Island, South Orkney Islands. Bulletin of the British Antarctic Survey 23,25-50. 

It has been estimated that one chlorine atom has an atmospheric lifetime of one to two years and may destroy 100,000 ozone molecules, thus contributing to the mysterious ozone hole. The British Antarctic Survey discovered the lowest ozone concentration in Earth s atmosphere ever recorded, in October 1984 nearly 40 percent less than the historical average for Antarctica. Atmospheric currents concentrate CFCs over Antarctica, creating the ozone hole that in 1984 was larger than the United States and taller than Mount Everest. The loss of ozone as a protective layer permits the penetration of increased levels of ultraviolet light to Earth s surface. 

It seems that the poles are warming faster than the rest of the planet. It was believed that because of the tilt of the Earth s axis, the North Pole was melting faster. This is disputed by the March 2008 report of the British Antarctic Survey that reported the fracture of the Wilkins floating ice shelf at the South Pole, which is the size of the state of Connecticut. 

British scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) had been making measurements of ozone from their base at Halley Bay (76°S) for many years. They detected a decline in the springtime ozone since 1977, and by October 1984, they had detected a 30% decline in the total ozone. Today, this value has reached 60%. The ozone hole begins to develop in August, is fully developed by early October and has normally broken up by early December (see Figure 28). 

A theory is considered successful if it can be used to make predictions that are true. In 1985, the announcement by the British Antarctic Survey that the amount of ozone in the stratosphere was decreasing lent Mohna and Rowland s hypothesis— that chlorine from CFCs could destroy ozone— further support. 

British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 OET, United Kingdom... 

Fig. 3.6 Mean October levels of total ozone above Halley Bay (76°S), Antarctica, since 1957. The 1986 value is anomalous due to deformation of the ozone hole, which left Halley Bay temporarily outside the circumpolar vortex (a tight, self-contained wind system). Dobson units represent the thickness of the ozone layer at sealevel temperature and pressure (where 1 Dobson unit is equivalent to 0.01 mm). Data courtesy of the British Antarctic Survey. Inset shows seasonally averaged (Sep.-Nov.) ozone partial pressure at about 17 km at 70°S. Data courtesy of G. Konig-Langlo.

In 1984, a remarkable and totally unpredicted phenomenon was discovered by the British Antarctic Survey, the so-called ozone hole. The discovery of ozone depletion over Antarctica during the spring period provided the first observational support for the possible effect of CFCs on the stratospheric ozone. However, the observation of ozone loss did not indicate its cause. From 1984 to 1988, several theories were postulated from CFC chemistry to atmospheric dynamics or even to cosmic electron fluxes. It was not until 1988, with the results of the 1987 Airborne Antarctic Ozone Expedition, that a probable link with CFCs was established. This prompted the Natural Resources Defense Council, an American pressure group, to sue the EPA to fulfill its 1980 promise to seek legislation to further control the manufacture and use of CFCs in the United States of America. 

British Antarctic Survey Natural Environment Research Council High Cross Madingley Road Cambridge, CB3 OET United Kingdom... 

Figure 1-2. Mars Oasis, Antarctica a terrestrial niche for the survival of endohthic cyanobacteria in a limits of life" situation a translucent Beacon sandstone outcrop containing endolithic microbial communities on top of a dolerite sill. Dr David Wynn-Williams, Head of Antarctic Astrobiology at the British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, is prospecting for endohths. Reproduced from the book Astrobiology The Quest for the Conditions of Life, Eds Gerda Homeck, Christa Baumstark-Khan, 2003, Springer. With kind permission of Springer Science and Business Media (see color plate section)...

Figure 1.5 Satellite photos confirmed the British Antarctic Survey team s measurements that the ozone layer was thinning over Antarctica. On this satellite map, the area over Antarctica appears pink, purple, and black. The color-key on the right indicates that the ozone level ranges from 125 to about 200 Dobson Units, which is well below the normal level of 300 Dobson units. 

It was initially felt that the threat, while real, would be small but in 1985 the British Antarctic Survey scientists reported thinning of the ozone layer over the Antarctic (2). Subsequent surveys, satellite studies, and aeroplane sampling studies have confirmed the accuracy of the predictions of Molina and Rowland, suggesting a faster onset of likely problems than had been originally realized (Fig. 2, see color plate). 

The British Antarctic survey set up stations in Antarctica. And so we d been monitoring very many things in Antarctica for a long while. And suddenly in 1985 it dawned on us that we were sitting on top of one of the biggest environmental discoveries of the decade, I suppose, or perhaps even of the century. We... 

Hasselt University, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Diepenbeek, Belgium Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden Division of Biology, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK... 

Sandra J. McInnes British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK... 

The first commercial application of a dense 23 wt% Pd-Ag membrane was in the 1964, when Johnson Matthey used this membrane for purifying a hydrogen rich-stream [97]. Successively, Johnson Matthey also developed a hydrogen generator constituted by a palladium MR fed with a methanol/water mixture. This plant was used in small scale by British Antarctic Survey in 1975 [98, 99]. 

Clarkson PD (1995) Introduction. In Qarkson PD, Tessensohn F, Thomson JW, et al. (eds) Geological map of the Shackleton Range, Antarctica. BAS GEOMAP Series, Sheet 4, 1 250,000, with supplementary text. British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, 79 pp... 

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