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Aquarium

Aquarium, Cambridge, UK

Position: Lat. 52°12'44"N, Long. 0°4'50"E

Marine animals collected from Antarctic waters have been maintained in aquarium facilities in Antarctica and the UK by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) since 1973. The current Facility in Cambridge is the only low temperature research aquarium in the UK, and one of only three globally to regularly hold Antarctic species over extended periods. The facilities and marine animals are used by scientists and Ph.D. students at BAS and at universities, both within the UK and internationally.

In the Polar Regions where environmental change is the fastest on Earth the ability to investigate organism responses to manipulated conditions is a key requirement for UK-based ecosystem research.

The Cambridge Aquarium provides:

The ability to perform fine-scale analyses on Antarctic species using techniques only available in Europe (e.g. NMR analyses of muscle function in scallops, nerve-muscle function analyses in isopods, and genomic analyses of regeneration in echinoderms.
Access to biological specimens for scientists year round without having to travel to Antarctica.
The ability to test underwater equipment in the marine environment before sending it to Antarctica (e.g. heated settlement panels).
The ability to train junior scientists and Ph.D. students in equipment and techniques before visiting Antarctica.
The capacity to conduct preliminary trials and develop new small projects at times in the year when access to Rothera is not available.
The ability to conduct long-term projects manipulation conditions (e.g. ocean acidifcation studies on sea urchins assessing survival, growth, metabolism and reproductive success).

Seafloor fauna near South Georgia. Image taken by the MARUM ROV SQUID.

Exploring South Georgia’s seafloor fauna with SQUID

21 March, 2017 by Katrin Linse

I recently spent four-and-a-bit weeks aboard the German blue water research ship RV Meteor along with Oli Hogg, my PhD student. We took part in the “Methane South Georgia” research …

New project to unlock life’s secrets in extreme cold

2 September, 2024

Cambridge researchers are set to explore the uncharted depths of life in the extreme cold, with findings that could reshape our understanding of biology and pave the way for future …

Shellfish study published this month

27 June, 2016

New technologies and techniques used in a scientific study of the shells of oysters, mussels, clams and scallops reveal clues about how these commercially valuable species may fare in a changing world, and how discarded shells from the aquaculture industry could benefit the environment.