PRESCIENT: UK Polar Research Expertise for Science and Society

The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is the NERC Centre dedicated to delivering and enabling world-leading research in the polar regions. The Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (CPOM) is the NERC Centre of Excellence that provides long-term UK National Capability in polar observations and modelling. Our science looks to the polar regions and beyond to understand the evolving Earth System. We use funding from a variety of sources to deliver science activities across a range of disciplines, focussing on globally significant questions to help society adapt to a changing world.

In this proposal we offer activities organised in six workpackages (WPs). Four explicitly include underpinning science activities that provide a backbone for UK environmental science; they all deliver to themes of our new 10-year science strategy "Polar Science for a Sustainable Planet". One workpackage will deliver National Public Good (NPG) activities, and one is dedicated to managing our programme and the specific alignment to wider NERC ambitions.

WP1 - Polar and Mountain Climate Data Records. This WP comprises six activities to underpin climate observations and modelling: i) year-round observations of climate-sensitive parameters on the rapidly-warming Antarctic Peninsula to understand interconnections within this changing system; ii) an ice coring and analysis capability to underpin projects that learn from the past to inform future climate predictions; iii) a capability for airborne atmospheric sensing, upgrading the data capture system and progressing transition to low carbon autonomous platforms; iv) a satellite data processing capability with improvements to sea ice altimetry retrieval; v) an improved sea ice modelling component for the UK Earth System Model (UKESM); vi) a network to measure snowfall in mountain regions, to inform weather and climate models and support decisions around water resources.

WP2 - Southern Ocean Biological Observatories. This WP will support long-term observations in regions of the Southern Ocean to understand how ecosystems are affected by change (climate, sea ice, pollution) and how such stresses impact plankton community structure, biodiversity and productivity, life-cycle behaviour, and vertical migration. New autonomous platforms and novel technologies, including eDNA, will underpin this WP.

WP3 - Sea Level Rise Science. This WP comprises five activities that underpin our ability to make robust predictions about future global sea level: i) a capability to process satellite data of land ice, to understand current global changes in ice sheets; ii) maintenance and development of UKESM elements that address land ice to improve future predictions of ice loss; iii) an improved airborne radar capability to inform on under-ice basal properties; iv) an iproved hot water drilling capability that enables deployment of instruments below ice shelves, ice sheets, and ice streams; v) enhancements to our sustained oceanic observations near and beneath ice shelves - critical to understand the ocean's role in driving ice shelf loss.

WP4 - Space Weather Observatory. This WP will deliver sustained observations of space weather parameters through the 2025 solar maximum and the descending phase that will support numerical modelling that informs the UK Risk Register on space weather threats. Our Antarctic network will be expanded with new instruments and greater geographic range to fill previous observational gaps.

WP5 - Delivery of National Public Good. We will deliver independent scientific advice and support to a range of stakeholders in government, business, and wider society, ensuring that our scientific activities and expertise is available to support solutions.

WP6 - Management and Delivery. This WP provides programme management to achieve our objectives, and also identifies our alignment to NERC ambitions in Digital, Net Zero, and EDI. This WP will ensure all our cross-programme targets are achieved.