Transect Magazine: Field Notes from Antarctica

Transect Magazine: Field Notes from Antarctica

By Ben Twining, Senior Research Scientist

This story originally appeared in the Summer 2026 edition of Transect.

Humans have spread across most of the Earth, building extensive communities and using our planet's resources. But Antarctica, by agreement of the 57 countries that have signed the Antarctic Treaty, is designated as a natural reserve, devoted to peace, science, and international cooperation. Mining is prohibited, and there are strict rules on waste disposal. Each signatory has agreed to place on hold any territorial claims and actively collaborate on fisheries management and conservation. In a moment of armed conflicts and receding international collaboration, the Antarctic Treaty stands out as a vestige from a different time.

I had the privilege of visiting Antarctica and the Southern Ocean for research this past January and February, the peak of austral summer. I joined 34 other scientists on the Royal Research Ship Sir David Attenborough (the 'SDA') for a UK-funded project called "Iron-Man" studying the role of iron and manganese as trace nutrients that control phytoplankton growth in the frigid waters surrounding the continent. We think these metals influence how much carbon dioxide the oceans take up globally, but they aren't yet incorporated into climate models. That omission might explain why models are incorrectly predicting increased Southern Ocean productivity - even as we observe it declining - in response to rising temperatures.

The science team included many chemists, like me, measuring various forms of iron and manganese, as well as phytoplankton and zooplankton biologists, physicists, and atmospheric chemists to measure metals entering the ocean with wind-blown dust. It was a mix of long-time colleagues and scientists I hadn't met before, graduate students on their first research expedition and old hands with years of cruise experience. We hailed from countries spanning four continents. This multidisciplinary and international collaboration honors the Antarctic Treaty and reflects one of my favorite aspects of field-going research.

The ship also blew me away. Launched in 2018, the SDA is over 400 feet long and almost 100 feet wide, with space for two helicopters (although none were onboard, allowing us to convert the hangar into a gym). It can travel 22,000 miles - nearly the circumference of Earth - and break one-meter-thick ice. The U.S. doesn't have an Antarctic research vessel anymore, so it was invigorating to sail on such a state-of-the-art ship.

The SDA is operated by the British Antarctic Survey to support its dual mission of conducting polar science and providing an active UK presence in the Antarctic. The latter objective gave us an opportunity to visit the British research base Rothera (my first time setting foot on the continent after nine previous cruises to the Southern Ocean!). While I'm familiar with the logistics of months-long ocean expeditions, it was eye-opening to see how Rothera operates, supporting more than 150 staff in the summer and about 30 over the long, isolating Antarctic winter. All trash and research waste - even deconstructed building material - must be shipped off the continent, for example.

Rothera also hosts a fleet of aircraft and a 900-meter gravel runway to support remote field camps deep on the continent. For me, the runway provided space to accumulate some non-treadmill miles towards the friendly "Iron- Man Triathlon" that some of us used to pass the time. Icebergs, glaciers, Adelie penguins, and a Weddell seal asleep on the runway all helped to distract me during a 12-km run.

The West Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most beautiful regions on Earth. It's also one of the fastest warming, with most glaciers and ice shelves in retreat. The breathtaking scenery provided daily inspiration toward our goal of improving our ability to forecast future changes in the Southern Ocean. It is only through such crucial experimentation that we will improve global models of ocean and climate behavior and understand how these environments respond to human activities. Even the Antarctic Treaty cannot protect Antarctica from the steady march of climate change.