Iceworld

British Antarctic Survey
  • 5.0 (7)
  • PLACES & TRAVEL
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Iceworld

Welcome to Antarctica. What's it like living and working in one of the most extreme environments in the world? From polar scientists to plumbers, ICEWORLD is a series of interviews with ordinary people who are doing extraordinary jobs in Antarctica. The team talk climate science, extreme living, expeditions and becoming a community. A podcast from British Antarctic Survey, hosted and recorded by marine biologist Nadia Frontier. Produced in partnership with Boffin Media.

  1. S4: Women at the poles - with Jane Francis, Jo Johnson, Katy Rumm, Vicky Auld, Laura Taylor, and Kat Turner

    8 MAR · BONUS

    S4: Women at the poles - with Jane Francis, Jo Johnson, Katy Rumm, Vicky Auld, Laura Taylor, and Kat Turner

    In this special International Women’s Day episode, host Nadia Frontier takes a look back at some of her most memorable conversations with women at the British Antarctic Survey. This episode celebrates the incredible women pushing boundaries, breaking stereotypes, and shaping the future of science in one of the world’s most extreme environments.  Professor Dame Jane Francis reflects on her remarkable journey from early fieldwork in Antarctica to becoming the Director of BAS. Geologist Dr Jo Johnson shares her experiences working in some of the most remote and challenging places on Earth, all while balancing the demands of family life. Chef Katy Rumm talks about her adventurous leap from fine dining to cooking in Antarctica’s remote kitchens, turning limited ingredients into incredible meals. Pilot Vicky Auld opens up about her unexpected path to flying the BAS Twin Otters and the power of seizing opportunities when they come your way. Finally, Nadia revisits her conversation with young researchers Laura Taylor and Kat Turner, who are making their mark on the BIOPOLE cruise, helping to advance climate science in the Southern Ocean.  --- Welcome to Antarctica. What's it like living and working in one of the most extreme environments in the world? From polar scientists to plumbers, ICEWORLD is a series of interviews with ordinary people who are doing extraordinary jobs in Antarctica. The team talk climate science, extreme living, expeditions and becoming a community.  A podcast from British Antarctic Survey, hosted and recorded by marine biologist Nadia Frontier. Produced in partnership with Boffin Media. Cover photo of Katie Wells by John Dickens.

    31 min
  2. S4 Ep9: A carnival of polar animals, with Katie Wells

    3 MAR

    S4 Ep9: A carnival of polar animals, with Katie Wells

    Katie Wells' job is like walking into a nature documentary! As a marine biologist at King Edward Point Research Station on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, Katie's job is to monitor the abundant carnival of animals that call this island and the surrounding ocean home. Katie talks to Nadia about her experiences of the changing seasons and sights during the first year of her two-year deployment to South Georgia. From hikes across the island to monitor seabirds, to following the lives of fur seal pups outside her window, to counting hundreds of humpback whales at sea in a few days - this is a job for a real animal lover. --- Welcome to Antarctica. What's it like living and working in one of the most extreme environments in the world? From polar scientists to plumbers, ICEWORLD is a series of interviews with ordinary people who are doing extraordinary jobs in Antarctica. The team talk climate science, extreme living, expeditions and becoming a community.  A podcast from British Antarctic Survey, hosted and recorded by marine biologist Nadia Frontier. Produced in partnership with Boffin Media. Cover photo of Katie Wells by John Dickens.

    25 min
  3. S4 Ep8: Drilling into the ice rift - with the RiPIce expedition to the Larsen C Ice Shelf

    17 FEB

    S4 Ep8: Drilling into the ice rift - with the RiPIce expedition to the Larsen C Ice Shelf

    Every iceberg starts life attached to an ice shelf - until a crack travels deep through the ice and it breaks away. Predicting the way ice shelves will crack is still a major uncertainty in climate models. Cue an epic fieldwork project to the Larsen C Ice Shelf - featuring 'suture ice', hot water drilling, and some clever use of fibre optic cables. What's it like to camp out in the middle of the icy wilderness? How do you deal with dietary requirements when you're eating field rations? What's it like to abseil into an ice shelf? When does the toilet tent start presenting logistical problems? And what, exactly, is a drilling 'blubber'? Nadia Frontier and Matt Hughes chat to the RiPIce team (Rift Propagation for Ice Sheet Models) about their fieldwork - Katie Miles from Aberystwyth University, Sarah Thompson from University of Tasmania representing the Australian Antarctic Programme, and Adrian Luckman from Swansea University. --- Welcome to Antarctica. What's it like living and working in one of the most extreme environments in the world? From polar scientists to plumbers, ICEWORLD is a series of interviews with ordinary people who are doing extraordinary jobs in Antarctica. The team talk climate science, extreme living, expeditions and becoming a community.  A podcast from British Antarctic Survey, hosted and recorded by marine biologist Nadia Frontier. Produced in partnership with Boffin Media. Photography by Sam Hunt.

    25 min
  4. S4 Ep7: Carbon cycling, biogeochemistry, and cruising on RRS Sir David Attenborough - with Emily Rowlands, Laura Taylor & Kat Turner

    5 FEB

    S4 Ep7: Carbon cycling, biogeochemistry, and cruising on RRS Sir David Attenborough - with Emily Rowlands, Laura Taylor & Kat Turner

    Ever wondered what it’s like to do science on a ship travelling through Antarctica's Southern Ocean? In this episode, host Nadia Frontier is joined by early-career scientists Emily Rowlands, Laura Taylor, and Kat Turner, who are gearing up for the next BIOPOLE scientific mission on the RRS Sir David Attenborough. From getting used to life on board, to being put in charge of managing important ocean sampling, they chat about the excitement and challenges of working on polar science at sea. Together, Emily, Laura and Kat explain the significance of the BIOPOLE project - and the connections between Antarctica's ecosystems, nutrients, ice, and the major role that the ocean plays in absorbing carbon from Earth's atmosphere. Plus, Kat shares her experiences capturing sounds of the Antarctic for The Seventh Continent, a unique music project that brings an epic journey life. The Seventh Continent (the latest album from the Sounds of Space Project) is available on all major streaming platforms, and for free on Bandcamp: https://soundsofspaceproject.bandcamp.com/album/the-seventh-continent --- Welcome to Antarctica. What's it like living and working in one of the most extreme environments in the world? From polar scientists to plumbers, ICEWORLD is a series of interviews with ordinary people who are doing extraordinary jobs in Antarctica. The team talk climate science, extreme living, expeditions and becoming a community.  A podcast from British Antarctic Survey, hosted and recorded by marine biologist Nadia Frontier. Produced in partnership with Boffin Media. Cover photo of Kat Turner by Elliot Johnston.

    32 min
  5. S4 Ep6: Uncovering the secrets of clouds, with Floortje Van Den Heuvel

    21 JAN

    S4 Ep6: Uncovering the secrets of clouds, with Floortje Van Den Heuvel

    Where better to study clouds than from a plane? Host Nadia Frontier speaks to British Antarctic Survey cloud physicist Floortje Van Den Heuvel about her fieldwork scouting the skies of Antarctica for cloud forming particles. The clouds over Antarctica aren't well represented in climate models, and Floor is on a mission to change that! Floor fell in love with the polar regions after working in the Arctic during her PhD, and has never looked back. She chats about the Southern Ocean Clouds project, her quality time spent in BAS Twin Otter aircraft 'Ice Cold Katy', and getting to see ice crystals form inside clouds from the sky. --- Welcome to Antarctica. What's it like living and working in one of the most extreme environments in the world? From polar scientists to plumbers, ICEWORLD is a series of interviews with ordinary people who are doing extraordinary jobs in Antarctica. The team talk climate science, extreme living, expeditions and becoming a community.  A podcast from British Antarctic Survey, hosted and recorded by marine biologist Nadia Frontier. Produced in partnership with Boffin Media.

    28 min
  6. S4: Life after Antarctica: post-deployment with Dr Bav Sasi, Jerry Gillham and Kirsten Shaw

    6 JAN · BONUS

    S4: Life after Antarctica: post-deployment with Dr Bav Sasi, Jerry Gillham and Kirsten Shaw

    Adapting to life after Antarctica can be a strange (and sometimes difficult) transition. Whether it's adjusting back to the daily hustle of home life after being in a remote community, or coming down from the emotional highs and lows of life in the wildest environment on Earth, returning to normal can be a challenge. In this episode, host Nadia Frontier speaks with Dr Bav Sasi, a former medic at Rothera Research Station, about his research into the psychological and emotional effects of returning from Antarctic deployments. Also joining the conversation are Station Leader Jerry Gillham, and Antarctic Postal Logistics founder Kirsten Shaw. Together, they share their personal experiences of moving between life on the frozen continent and the 'normal' world, plus their top tips for managing the transition - whether you’re returning from an extreme experience, or supporting someone who is. --- Welcome to Antarctica. What's it like living and working in one of the most extreme environments in the world? From polar scientists to plumbers, ICEWORLD is a series of interviews with ordinary people who are doing extraordinary jobs in Antarctica. The team talk climate science, extreme living, expeditions and becoming a community.  A podcast from British Antarctic Survey, hosted and recorded by marine biologist Nadia Frontier. Produced in partnership with Boffin Media.

    27 min
  7. S4 Ep5: Penguin passion at the poles with Derren Fox and Peter Fretwell

    23/12/2024

    S4 Ep5: Penguin passion at the poles with Derren Fox and Peter Fretwell

    Are you a professional in penguin bum lifting? Derren Fox’s love for penguins began long before he made the trek to the icy sub-Antarctic island of Signy, where he works as a Zoological Assistant. In this episode, Derren chats to Nadia from Signy Research Station, where he spends his days getting up close and personal with Adélie penguins. He’s joined by Peter Fretwell, a satellite-wielding penguin expert who studies emperor penguins across the vast, frozen continent. Together, they share some of the more interesting ways they weigh and monitor the health of these iconic, charming, and stubborn birds - and spoiler: it involves a lot of careful penguin wrangling. They also discuss the serious threats facing emperor penguins from climate change. From dodging the occasional disgruntled penguin, to the iconic place these flightless birds have in Antarctica’s ecosystem, this episode is a fun, eye-opening look at the challenges and joys of studying penguins in the wild. --- Welcome to Antarctica. What's it like living and working in one of the most extreme environments in the world? From polar scientists to plumbers, ICEWORLD is a series of interviews with ordinary people who are doing extraordinary jobs in Antarctica. The team talk climate science, extreme living, expeditions and becoming a community.  A podcast from British Antarctic Survey, hosted and recorded by marine biologist Nadia Frontier. Produced in partnership with Boffin Media.

    29 min
  8. S4 Ep4: Scouting for shags and skuas with Paul Whitelaw and Aurelia Reichardt

    09/12/2024

    S4 Ep4: Scouting for shags and skuas with Paul Whitelaw and Aurelia Reichardt

    Paul Whitelaw started dreaming of a job in Antarctica when a BAS marine biologist visited as a lecturer during his degree. Only a few years later, Nadia speaks to Paul while he is monitoring seabirds at Rothera Research Station in Antarctica as part of his PhD. From dodging dive-bombing skuas to tracking hatching egg numbers, Paul's work includes monitoring the health of the substantial seabird populations in Antarctica. With 10% of the world's population of skua in the same bay as Rothera, Paul is able to use the changing fate of the birds there as an indicator for the health of the marine ecosystem as a whole. Paul is joined in the interview by Aurelia Reichardt, Station Leader, who has also been involved in the long term monitoring of skua populations at Rothera. --- Welcome to Antarctica. What's it like living and working in one of the most extreme environments in the world? From polar scientists to plumbers, ICEWORLD is a series of interviews with ordinary people who are doing extraordinary jobs in Antarctica. The team talk climate science, extreme living, expeditions and becoming a community.  A podcast from British Antarctic Survey, hosted and recorded by marine biologist Nadia Frontier. Produced in partnership with Boffin Media. Cover photo of Paul by Patrick Griffin.

    19 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Welcome to Antarctica. What's it like living and working in one of the most extreme environments in the world? From polar scientists to plumbers, ICEWORLD is a series of interviews with ordinary people who are doing extraordinary jobs in Antarctica. The team talk climate science, extreme living, expeditions and becoming a community. A podcast from British Antarctic Survey, hosted and recorded by marine biologist Nadia Frontier. Produced in partnership with Boffin Media.

Information

  • Creator
    British Antarctic Survey
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2025
  • Episodes
    39
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © British Antarctic Survey
  • Show Website
    Iceworld

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