Director's introduction to Polar Science for Planet Earth
The polar regions may be at the ends of the Earth but what happens there affects us all.
They are places of compelling beauty, home to some of the world’s most charismatic wildlife, and a critical part of the Earth System. Their icy landscapes have fascinated scientists for at least 100 years and buried in their snow, ice, rocks and oceans are secrets that can be unlocked only by scientific investigation.
Scientific advances made by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have already changed humankind’s understanding of planet Earth. Our discovery of the ozone hole drew world attention to the damage caused by chemicals in our atmosphere; we linked the rapid warming on the Antarctic Peninsula to human activity; and revealed the amazing survival story of organisms living in the extreme cold.
There is now overwhelming scientific consensus that human activity is driving climate change.The impact, extent and timescales of change, including sea-level rise and the sustainability of marine resources, are some of the big issues facing society today. Understanding the role that the polar regions play in these issues is a huge scientific challenge, and an urgent priority for society.
It is this challenge that has defined BAS’s new science programme, Polar Science for Planet Earth (PSPE), which is a component of the Natural Environment Research Council strategy, Next Generation Science for Planet Earth. PSPE has restructured BAS science around six themed programmes, which are introduced in the following pages. As well as continuing our world-class research in Antarctica, PSPE expands our science in the Arctic, broadening our understanding of both of the world’s polar regions.
The answers we seek are to be found by unlocking the past, understanding the present, predicting the future and exploring the unknown.
This is Polar Science for Planet Earth.
Professor Nicholas Owens
Director, BAS
