V.I. Russell
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| Abbreviation | BAS |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1962 |
| Legal status | Government Organisation |
| Purpose | Carry out scientific research and surveys in the Antarctic |
| Headquarters | BAS Headquarters |
| Location |
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Region served
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United Kingdom |
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Director
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Professor Dame Jane Francis |
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Parent organisation
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Natural Environment Research Council |
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Budget
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£48,053,000 (2011–12) |
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Staff
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400+ staff |
| Website | www |
The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is the United Kingdom's national Antarctic operation and has an active role in Antarctic affairs. BAS is part of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and has over 400 staff. It operates five research stations, two ships and five aircraft in and around Antarctica. BAS addresses key global and regional issues. This involves joint research projects with over 40 UK universities and more than 120 national and international collaborations.
Operation Tabarin was a small British expedition in 1943 to establish permanently occupied bases in the Antarctic. It was a joint undertaking by the Admiralty and the Colonial Office. At the end of the war it was renamed the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) and full control passed to the Colonial Office. At this time there were four stations, three occupied and one unoccupied. By the time FIDS was renamed British Antarctic Survey in 1962, 19 stations and three refuges had been established.
In 2012 the parent body, NERC, proposed merging the BAS with another NERC institute, National Oceanography Centre in Southampton. This proved controversial, and after the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee opposed the move and the plan was dropped.
The BAS operates five permanent research stations in the British Antarctic Territory:
Of these Research Stations, only Rothera and Halley are manned throughout the year. The remaining bases are manned only during the Antarctic summer.
The BAS also operates two permanent bases on South Georgia:
Both South Georgia bases are manned throughout the year.
The headquarters of the BAS are in the United Kingdom, in the university city of Cambridge, on Madingley Road. This facility provides offices, laboratories and workshops to support the scientific and logistic activities in the Antarctic.
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Wikipedia