We are delighted to bring you the Antarctica Week Festival 2020 where students and the public have a unique opportunity to listen to those working on the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration talk about what it's like to live and work in Antarctica. Two talks daily from Monday 30 November to Friday 4 December celebrate Antarctica Day - designated to when the Antarctic Treaty was ratified on 1 December 1959.
Our exciting program of webinars was recorded, and videos are posted below. The presentations are 30 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of questions from the public that were answered by our experts!
Any questions about the webinars? Please email us at antarcticaweek@bas.ac.uk
Mon 30 November
Extreme Antarctica - never eat yellow snow!
Living and working in Antarctica - how cold is it, what do scientists do there, do you eat lots of chocolate and how do you go to the toilet?
Time: 11:00am UK GMT(aimed at students aged 5+)
Watch the video
The footprint of past ice
Discover what you learn about Antarctica's past from mapping the seafloor and collecting mud in Antarctica from the THOR project
Time: 12:00pm US EST, 9:00 am US PST, 5:00pm UK GMT(aimed at students aged 12+)
Watch the VideoTues 1 December
Why study the polar regions and what lies under the ice?
Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica flows over mountains that stick out of the overlying ice. The GHOST team will survey these mountains. Find out why this is so important to unlocking how rapidly the glacier might disappear.
Time: 11:00am UK GMT(aimed at students aged 11+)
Watch the Video
Using explosives and radar in Antarctica
The GHOST team will use explosive technology to learn what the rock that Thwaites Glacier sits on is like. Find out what it's like to spend weeks working in the most amazing place on Earth.
Time: 10:00am US EST, 7:00am US PST, 3:00pm UK GMT(aimed at students aged 12+)
Watch the VideoWed 2 December
Robots in Antarctica
How the MELT team drilled through Thwaites Glacier using hot water and collected data with the Icefin robot.
Time: 10:00am US EST, 3:00pm UK GMT(aimed at students aged 12+)
Watch the Video
Grab your cameras and binoculars!
What fascinating wildlife can you find in Antarctica? Find out how many different animals live in and around Antarctica and what makes them so special.
Time: 12:00pm US EST, 9:00am US PST, 5:00pm UK GMT
(aimed at students aged 5+)
Thurs 3 December
Mapping deep channels under Thwaites Glacier
Thwaites Glacier is being melted by warm ocean waters that flow up to the glacier through deep channels in the seafloor now mapped by the THOR team. Find out how big they are and how much heat they carry!
Time: 11:00am UK GMT(aimed at students aged 10+)
Watch the Video
How to become a polar scientist
Find out how to work in polar science on cool projects like ITGC, by listening to this inspirational talk about Prof Pettit's career path into working on the TARSAN project.
Time: 12:00pm US EST, 9:00am US PST, 5:00pm UK GMT(aimed at students aged 12+)
Watch the VideoFri 4 December
Ice tractors in the extreme
Join the team who operates big vehicles in Antarctica. Find out how they move food, fuel and supplies and keep staff safe when they're working in the deep field in temperatures as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Time: 9:30am UK GMT(aimed at students aged 6+)
Watch the Video
Running a camp on a remote glacier
Find out how the logistics teams at the US Antarctic Program set up and managed teams working on the remote Thwaites Glacier in the 2019/20 field season.
Time: 11:00am US EST, 8:00 US PST, 4:00pm UK GMT(aimed at students aged 8+)
Watch the Video
