PRESCIENT

PRESCIENT (UK Polar Research Expertise for Science and Society) is a joint BAS and CPOM programme, which delivers across all areas of the BAS Science Strategy. The project funding supports ‘underpinning activities’ as well as  ensuring that strategically-important, long-term measurements and specific capabilities that BAS and CPOM deliver for the wider science community, continue into the future.

Examples include the sustained observations in the remote Amundsen Sea which is crucial for understanding changes in the ocean and how they affect ice in West Antarctica; we will make measurements of the sea-ice environment to understand how changes in sea ice are affecting marine physics, chemistry, and biodiversity; we will enhance the Rothera Time series to include components on atmospheric composition and sea ice, to understand linkages in this system and possible climate feedbacks.

The funding will also support BAS’s airborne science capabilities – both aerogeophysics and atmospheric science – as well as hot-water drilling and ice-core infrastructure.

Some of the more exciting aspects of this programme include aiding the BAS transition to low carbon science delivery. Observations in the Amundsen Sea will trial the use of profiling floats to make measurements, which will reduce the frequency of ship visits; delivery of airborne science using RPAS systems will be progressed, building on the recent learning from the WINDRACER project. Another important aspect is what’s called ‘National Public Good‘, which where the programme will support the provision of information and advice to stakeholders, in particular the UK Government. This through an annual briefing document on the state of the Antarctic, another mechanism which will allow us to brief our ‘science to policy makers‘ ensuring our science can gain further impact.