British Antarctic Territory News

Historic Antarctic Huts & Bases Part 1

The historic British Huts and Bases on the Antarctic Peninsula are protected under the international Antarctic Treaty and managed by the United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT). The seven sites, with buildings and artefacts of international significance, represent the origins of the UK’s formal scientific programme in Antarctica. They are not only emblematic of the foundations of climate science on the continent, but also serve as powerful symbols of the UK’s legacy of exploration, scientific excellence, and global cooperation. This commemorative issue from the British Antarctic Territory depicts historic and contemporary images of each in a se-tenant format. 80p Blaiklock Island Refuge is located on a wild and rocky island only accessible by ship. It was built and used by pioneers from 1957 to 1958 who charted the first maps of the region and is a rare example of a 1950s British sledging refuge. It provided the men with a place to shelter and rest with their dogs in bad conditions. The modest hut has remained largely untouched since it was abandoned. It tells a vivid story of life, survival, and scientific discovery in one of the most inhospitable places on Earth. During the 2024/25 austral summer, UKAHT sent a conservation team to the island to complete essential repairs to the building, catalogue artefacts and secure the site to make it safe for years to come. 86p Horseshoe Island (Base Y) was established as a scientific base 70 years ago in 1955. Research carried out here included geology, meteorology, and mapping. Extensive survey trips covering hundreds of miles were undertaken using dog teams and sledges until 1960. In 1995, Base Y was designated Historic Site and Monument no. 63 under the Antarctic Treaty and has been managed by UKAHT since 2014. Located in Bourgeois Fjord, Marguerite Bay along the west coast of Graham Land, Antarctica, the small rocky island of Horseshoe was discovered and named by the British Graham Land Expedition under John Rymill, who mapped the area by land and from the air between 1934 and 1937. It was named because of the U-shape of its mountains, which climb as high as 900m (2,953ft). £1.52 Damoy Hut is described as the ‘world’s southernmost waiting room’. The hut and its adjacent glacial skiway served as the British Antarctic Survey transit hub for researchers arriving by sea to make their way further south by air by Twin Otter during the austral summer. It is the only protected example of a historic Antarctic air transit station. The hut became redundant in 1993 but was protected in 2009 as Historic Site and Monument no. 84. Under the care of UKAHT since 2009, during the 2022/23 austral summer, the expert conservation team rewound the clock to 1975 by restoring the exterior paintwork to its original orange used for visibility from the air. FDC Port Lockroy (Base A) was established in 1944 as part of a secret wartime mission, Operation Tabarin. As the first continuously occupied British base, the site represents the birthplace of the British formal scientific programme for Antarctica. Today, Port Lockroy is the flagship site for the charity and home to the world’s southernmost public post office. Designated as Historic Site and Monument no. 61 in 1995, it holds high cultural significance, representing both the early scientific era and the practical conditions under which the Antarctic Treaty was negotiated. The preserved buildings and associated artefacts provide tangible evidence of scientific life, construction techniques, and daily routines in mid-20th century Antarctica. Operated as a museum, post office, and gift shop in the austral summer, it offers an accessible and engaging experience to around 20,000 visitors each year.  Climate change is having a significant impact on the historic Antarctic Huts and Bases. Rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns are accelerating the deterioration of these fragile wooden huts, with increased moisture contributing to rot, mould growth, and corrosion. More frequent freeze–thaw cycles, heavy snowfall and storms place strain on roofs and walls, leading to structural damage and water ingress. These effects are already creating significant challenges at the more northerly Port Lockroy and Damoy, and are beginning to impact the more southerly sites on Blaiklock and Horseshoe Islands. Such trends are expected to intensify in the coming years, further increasing the rate of decay and posing a growing challenge to the long-term conservation of the sites.  Proceeds from the gift shop and post office at Port Lockroy, along with public donations, memberships, penguin adoptions, grants and stakeholder support, help fund vital conservation work to protect Antarctica’s remarkable heritage to ensure our shared history is protected for generations to come. We acknowledge with thanks the help and assistance of the UKAHT www.ukaht.org   High Resolution Images for this stamp issue can be found below -  SetFirst Day Cover

Southern Giant Petrel

The global population of southern giant petrels (Macronectes giganteus) is around 50,000 pairs. They are the top avian predator in the Antarctic. This is one of the most sexually size-dimorphic of all seabirds, with males around 20% larger than females and with much more robust bills. Both sexes will feed at sea, sometimes travelling >1000 km from colonies but male giant petrels in particular also target penguin chicks and adults around their colonies, and fight over seal and other carrion on land. Old-time whalers used to call them ‘breakbones’ or ‘stinkers’ because of their frequent blood-stained brawls over carrion meat. They are large, colonially-nesting seabirds with wingspans of over 2m capable of long-distance ocean travel. The oldest birds can live for more than forty years and most breed for the first time only when they are between six and ten years of age. They produce at most one chick per year. Their breeding season is long; the single egg is incubated for 2 months, and the chick takes a further 3-4 months to fledge. Although the chicks are circumpolar migrants in the first year after fledging, almost all adults remain in the same ocean basin during the nonbreeding season.  The southern giant petrel has a wider breeding distribution than any other Antarctic seabird, from continental Antarctica (68°S) to Patagonia, and as far north as Gough Island in the central South Atlantic (40°S). Although this species has been down-listed to Least Concern by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), there is large annual variation in abundance and variable long-term trends recorded at different sites. Systematic, long-term monitoring helps to understand the population dynamics.  Scientists have studied the giant petrels breeding at Signy Island – in the South Orkney Islands (60°S) – since 1968. Signy Island Research Station is a summer-only station of British Antarctic Survey, where there are also long-term monitoring programmes on a number of species, including penguins (Adélie, chinstrap and gentoo). These surveys, the most detailed on this species in the South Orkneys, revealed that breeding success has declined substantially, from 60% in 1996 to 40% in 2015 in selected study colonies. Whole-island counts show that following an increase in breeding numbers from the mid 1980s to the mid 2000s, the population has halved from over 5800 to around 2600 nesting birds since 2005.Since the South Orkney Islands, of which Signy is part, represent nearly 10% of the global population of this species, continuation of such a decline both at Signy and elsewhere in this island group would be of high conservation concern. Considerable variation in breeding pair numbers and breeding success of southern giant petrels has been observed at other islands in the Southern Ocean, and it is clear that this species will defer breeding in years when environmental conditions are poor. The reasons for the decreases are unknown, but could reflect a reduction in sea ice, penguin abundance or other factors affecting food availability at sea. It is also unclear if the species is declining regionally or more widely. This research highlights the importance of long-term monitoring programmes even for species thought to be doing well. The challenge now is to understand which climatic or other environmental factors are driving these big changes for this important Antarctic predator and scavenger. The long-term monitoring at Signy is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council. High resolution images for this stamp issue can be found below: SetFirst Day Cover

British Antarctic Survey Logistics Expedition 2025

A rendezvous in the middle of nowhere The English Coast of Antarctica lies 600km from the nearest research station – a remote frontier, where the ice cliffs of the Stange Ice Shelf mark the edge of a giant floating, frozen wilderness. It is here that the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) attempted a logistics operation on a grand scale: a rare and ambitious rendezvous of sea, land and air operations, literally in the middle of nowhere.  The mission was to recover scientific equipment from previous projects and establish depots for future field operations. Scientific fieldwork in this fast-changing region helps us understand more about Earth’s changing climate and rising sea levels. The plan required success from three teams: a tractor traverse hauling equipment across the icy landscape; Royal Research Ship Sir David Attenborough (SDA) cutting through sea ice to find a safe spot at the shelf edge; and ski-equipped BAS Twin Otter aircraft supporting the whole operation. The SDA departed from the Falkland Islands on 20 December 2024, heading south across the notoriously rough Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula and beyond. At the English Coast, the first job was to find a section of ice cliff for the ship to come alongside – allowing cargo and fuel to be unloaded. The location had to be safely accessible for the tractor traverse team, who were driving across Antarctica to meet the ship. The Stange Ice Shelf has a number of ‘creeks’. These narrow areas of accessible water are created as the ice shelf advances in a series of fingers, approximately 1km wide. The ship entered the first creek on 1 January 2025. Grey, overcast conditions, sea ice and icebergs created an other-worldly environment, eerily quiet as the 15,000 tonne vessel crept forward. However, the overhanging ice walls and unfavourable ramp meant a quick rejection. Creek 3A was more promising. The ice cliff was 15m high, level with Deck 6 (the ship’s helideck) and at the limit for crane operations. Polar field guides were deployed to assess the top of the ice shelf. As the hours passed a safe zone gradually expanded, becoming a flagged area 120m long and 100m wide. The decision was made to commit. Creek 3A was renamed Gromit’s Creek and would be the ship’s home for the next three weeks. Attention turned to the progress of the tractor traverse, still hundreds of kilometres away up on the ice sheet. It was essential that they made it to the ship in time to offload scientific equipment and supplies, collected from previous deep field sites. At the ship, a cargo loading area was created, also a fuelling zone and roadway. A depot was established for the traverse cargo. Finally, a skiway was marked out for ski-equipped BAS Twin Otter aircraft to land and take off. Based at Sky Blu Field Station, 400km away, the Twin Otters would provide essential support for the whole operation. On 11 January, the tractor traverse team were spotted heading towards the ship for the final few kilometres of an epic journey. With their cargo parked in the depot, weary drivers and polar guides were welcomed on board. With the traverse team loaded up with fuel and equipment and heading out for a final time, and the last Twin Otter safely back at Sky Blu, the SDA left Gromit’s Creek on 20 January for Rothera Research Station, returning to the station 24 days after leaving for the English Coast.  Antarctica is an incredibly difficult place to do anything and the whole operation was a great example of BAS at its best. The expertise and professionalism needed to achieve success was exemplary, offering a unique capability for a national operator – a coordinated effort from land, sea and air in support of Antarctic science. We acknowledge with thanks the help and assistance of British Antarctic Survey. High resolution images for this stamp issue can be found below: SetSouvenir SheetFirst Day CoverSouvenir Sheet First Day Cover

Aurora at Halley

The Aurora Australis can often be seen from Antarctica and other southern hemisphere locations, particularly near the Antarctic circle. The word “aurora” is the Latin word for lights, “australis” being the Latin word for southern. The Aurora Australis can be seen from southern polar regions, such as Antarctic bases, The Falklands Islands, New Zealand, and southern South America.  In 1608 Hans Lippershey, a Dutch eyeglass maker, invented the first telescope. In 1610 using such an instrument in Galileo Galilei made many significant discoveries. This included the discovery of sunspots. Sunspots are areas on the Sun with a lower temperature than the surrounding area, so they appear darker. Using such observations, it becomes apparent that the Sun has a distinctive eleven-year cycle of activity. The peak and lower levels of this activity are called the “solar maxima” and “solar minima”. The intensity of auroral displays tend to follow this cycle, with a notable peak at solar maxima. There is much speculation as to why the Sun has such a distinctive cycle and the effects it has, not just on the aurora but on Earth in general. Aurora have also been observed in the upper atmosphere of the planets Jupiter and Saturn and are also thought to occur in the Venusian and Martian atmospheres.  Auroral displays are caused by the incoming “solar wind”, the intensity of which is also affected by the solar maxima and minima. The solar wind is a stream of electrons and protons that can travel as fast as 750 km/second (450 mph/second). Our planet is surrounded by a magnetic field. When this incoming solar wind reaches the vicinity of the Earth three days later, some particles are attracted by the magnetic field to the upper atmosphere, near the polar regions. These particles collide with atoms in the Earth’s atmosphere, and release energy in the form of light, which produces colourful aurora in the polar regions of the Earth’s atmosphere. On occasions the Sun can erupt a vast amount of material in the form of a “coronal mass ejection”(CME). An individual CME may comprise over a billion tons of matter which can be accelerated to a speed of several million km per hour. If it reaches Earth, the shock wave of the travelling mass impacts the Earth’s magnetosphere and may cause powerful auroral displays in large regions around Earth’s polar regions.  Aurora occurs around the polar regions in the form of an auroral oval centred on the Earth's magnetic poles. From Antarctica the oval will appear overhead and will extend northwards in the event of increased auroral activity depending on the level of activity on the Sun. If the solar activity is at a higher level, then the auroral oval will extend northwards and aurora may be seen much further north than usual. The oval represents the region where charged particles from the solar wind are funnelled by Earth’s magnetic field into the upper atmosphere. When these energetic particles collide with oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the thermosphere (~100–300 km altitude), they emit light, thus creating auroral displays. Most auroral displays appear white or light green, and a camera will however more detail and colour. Red and other colours may also be seen. The green aurora is produced by the collision of particles with oxygen at a height of about 100-150 kilometres. Red aurora is caused by the solar wind impacting oxygen in the upper atmosphere at a height of 200 km or more. Whilst rare yellow, purple and blue auroras are caused by nitrogen. There are various methods of recording auroral activity. The most common is the Kp index from the German, Kennziffer Planetarischer or Planetary index. The index measures the geomagnetic activity in the polar regions, which, if high, can lead to an auroral display. The Kp-index goes from one to nine. The higher the Kp-index, the greater the intensity of the display and the further north you will possibly see an auroral display. From Halley base a level of 5 or 6 will be overhead. Following Solar minima in 2018/19 it was anticipated that the next peak would be lower than the 2014 peak. However, it soon became apparent that the projected 2024/25 peak would be substantially higher than the 2013 peak. In October 2025 there was a auroral display at level Kp 9 that has subsequently been regarded as one of the best in nearly 70 years. There was also a similar Kp 9 event display in May 2024. Aurora can be very elusive and variable in intensity, and often unpredictable. Today, with a profusion of solar observatories and satellites, we are beginning to understand more about the workings of our nearest star. The four British Antarctic Territory stamps are based on images of aurora observed from Halley Research Station, situated on the Brunt Ice Shelf on the Caird Coast of Coats Land in the eastern Weddell Sea of Antarctica. The 86p stamp shows a distinctive auroral oval shape. The is not the auroral oval mentioned above, but a common shape of aurora seen at times of intense activity.  The 99p stamp shows green aurora on the horizon with the Halley Station meteorological platform in the foreground. The £1.68 stamp shows a dramatic green auroral ray over Halley VI Research Station. To the right of the ray is some other colourful aurora. The £1.84 shows a multi-coloured auroral curtain.  Text by Howard L.G. Parkin MBE. BSc. BEd. FRAS High resolution images for this stamp issue can be found below: SetFirst Day Cover