‘A dream experiment': our Australian icebreaker is on a crucial mission to Antarctica
Onboard are more than 60 scientists and technicians, many on their first research cruise, gingerly gaining their sea legs as the ship navigates multimetre swells and swirling Southern Ocean lows.
After a week or so of travel, they'll push through the sea ice and arrive at their destination for the next 50 days: the remote Denman Glacier ice shelf system in East Antarctica, about 5,000 kilometres south of Australia.
As the planet warms, this is a newly emerging region of concern for Antarctica's contribution to sea-level rise, making this mission crucial for Australia's future and the welfare of the global community.
The 110-kilometre-long Denman Glacier is a vast river of ice draining the East Antarctic ice sheet. It sits on the seafloor in a canyon about 3.5 kilometres below the surface.
As the most northerly ice-shelf system outside the Antarctic peninsula, the Denman Glacier is already one of the fastest retreating glaciers in Australian Antarctic Territory.
If the Denman were to melt entirely, it could contribute about 1.5 metres to global sea level rise, let alone what could be unleashed from the inland ice sheet it holds back.
This voyage has been a long time coming. It's the culmination of about a decade of planning for a dream experiment to investigate the interactions between ice shelf and ocean, from both the marine and terrestrial sides.
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But its genesis began even earlier. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports in 2007 marked a turning point with the recognition that ice sheets are the problem for global sea-level rise, and that ice shelves are their 'soft underbelly'.
We realised Antarctica was on the move. In 2008, scientists showed that changes in glacier flow have a 'significant if not dominant impact' on the loss of mass from the Antarctic ice sheet.
In 2011, scientists tagged a seal that ended up swimming through a deep trough in the ocean bed near the Denman Glacier, measuring unusually warm water there.
In 2019, a new elevation map of the continental bedrock beneath the Antarctic ice sheet revealed the deepest valley on Earth beneath the Denman Glacier.
For months from the end of 2020, Australian oceanographers tracked a robotic float that travelled underneath the Denman Glacier ice shelf.
Before it disappeared under winter sea ice, the float sent back measurements showing warm water flooding through the deep valley into the ice shelf cavity, enough to rapidly melt the glacier from below.
So this voyage aims to discover not only how vulnerable the Denman Glacier is to the warming ocean, but also the likelihood of it making a larger and faster contribution to sea-level rise during the next few decades.
The Denman Marine Voyage under the Australian Antarctic Program brings together diverse groups of researchers to answer critical questions about the ocean, ice and climate. The onboard science teams – mostly from universities, with a significant number of early-career scientists and PhD students – will cover a broad range of biological, oceanographic, geological and atmospheric research.
As an oceanographer, perhaps what I'm most excited about is the prospect to be measuring the properties of seawater – from both underneath the glacier and over the continental shelf – all at the same time, in a region where few observations have been collected before.
In January, as part of the Denman Terrestrial Campaign from the land side, a string of moored sensors was lowered through a hole in the floating ice shelf and left hanging in a deep underwater canyon near the grounding line of a glacier.
Every day the mooring automatically sends researchers the temperature, salinity and current speed of the water. These data help us track the pathways for deep, warm, salty water to access ice shelves, where it can drive rapid melting.
And now, with the RSV Nuyina moving into position to take simultaneous measurements right in front of the glacier, we should have the vital link that connects the warm flows we detect just offshore in the ocean to what's under the ice shelves.
The only way to get information like this is to be there. With it, we can refine our projections and better understand the hazard that Antarctica presents to our coastlines from the global sea-level rise we can expect – or avoid – this century.
Prof Nathan Bindoff leads the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership, based in the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania
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Western Telegraph
a day ago
- Western Telegraph
Remains of British researcher who died in Antarctica found 66 years later
Dennis 'Tink' Bell, 25, died after falling down a crevasse on a glacier at Admiralty Bay on King George Island on July 26 1959. A team from the Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station found his remains among rocks exposed by a receding glacier on January 19 this year, the BAS said on Monday. The British Antarctic Survey and British Antarctic Monument Trust have been a tremendous support and, together with the sensitivity of the Polish team in bringing him home, have helped us come to terms with the tragic loss of our brilliant brother David Bell, brother of Dennis 'Tink' Bell Bone fragments were carried to the Falkland Islands on the BAS Royal Research Ship Sir David Attenborough and handed to the coroner for British Antarctic Territory Malcolm Simmons, who brought them back to London from Stanley. DNA testing carried out at King's College London finally matched the remains with samples from Mr Bell's brother David and his sister Valerie Kelly. 'When my sister Valerie and I were notified that our brother Dennis had been found after 66 years we were shocked and amazed,' David Bell, now living in Australia, said. 'The British Antarctic Survey and British Antarctic Monument Trust have been a tremendous support and, together with the sensitivity of the Polish team in bringing him home, have helped us come to terms with the tragic loss of our brilliant brother.' Bell trained as a radio operator in the Royal Air Force before joining the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (Fids) as a meteorologist in 1958. He was stationed for a two-year assignment at Admiralty Bay, a small UK base with half a dozen men, on King George Island – one of the South Shetland Islands which lie in the Southern Ocean about 124 miles off the northern coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. On July 26 1959, Mr Bell and three of his colleagues – meteorologist Ken Gibson, surveyor Jeff Stokes, and geologist Colin Barton – left base with two dog sledges to climb the glacier and carry out survey and geological work. But on the way up, the soft snow made the journey difficult, and the dogs began to show signs of tiredness. Even though he (David Bell) was lost in 1959, his memory lived on among colleagues and in the legacy of polar research. This discovery brings closure to a decades-long mystery and reminds us of the human stories embedded in the history of Antarctic science Professor Dame Jane Francis, BAS 'To encourage them Bell went ahead… tragically without his skis,' the BAS said. 'Suddenly he disappeared leaving a gaping hole in the crevasse bridge through which he had fallen.' According to accounts in the British Antarctic Survey records, Mr Stokes made a first attempt at lifting Mr Bell out of the hole using a rope. But Mr Bell had tied the rope around his belt, which broke as he reached the lip of the crevasse. After this second fall, Mr Bell no longer responded to calls from Mr Stokes. 'That's a story I shall never get over,' Mr Bell's brother David told the BBC. Mr Stokes later met with Gibson and Barton coming down the glacier, and the three men made another attempt at finding Mr Bell. But weather conditions rapidly deteriorated, and they were not able to reach the crevasse in time, according to the BAS records. 'It was probably 12 hours before we found the site and there was no way he could have survived,' Ken Gibson said. 'The confirmation of the remains found on Ecology Glacier as those of Dennis 'Tink' Bell is both a poignant and profound moment for all of us at British Antarctic Survey,' Professor Dame Jane Francis, Director of BAS, said. 'Dennis was one of the many brave Fids personnel who contributed to the early science and exploration of Antarctica under extraordinarily harsh conditions. 'Even though he was lost in 1959, his memory lived on among colleagues and in the legacy of polar research. 'This discovery brings closure to a decades-long mystery and reminds us of the human stories embedded in the history of Antarctic science.' David Bell added: 'Dennis was the oldest of three siblings and was my hero as he seemed to be able to turn his hand to anything, servicing petrol engines, photography including processing his own films.' The Polish expedition which recovered Mr Bell's remains also found over 200 personal items, including the remains of radio equipment, a flashlight, ski poles, an inscribed Erguel wristwatch, a Swedish Mora knife, ski poles, and an ebonite pipe stem.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Telegraph
British man's bones found in glacier 65 years after Antarctica fall
A British man's bones have been found in an Antarctic glacier 65 years after he died. Dennis Bell was 25 years old when he fell through a crevice while working for what became the British Antarctic Survey in 1959. His remains were never recovered and his mother 'never got over it', according to his brother David Bell. He told the BBC: 'She couldn't handle photographs of him and couldn't talk about him.' Dennis's bones were found by a Polish Antarctic expedition in January, along with a wristwatch, radio and pipe. Mr Bell, who now lives in Australia, said: 'I had long given up on finding my brother. It is just remarkable, astonishing. I can't get over it.' The family lived in Harrow, London, when they received a Telegram informing them Dennis had died. 'The telegram boy said, 'I'm sorry to tell you, but this is bad news,'' he added. 'Dennis was fantastic company. He was very amusing. The life and soul of wherever he happened to be.' Dennis, known as 'Tink', worked in the RAF and trained as a meteorologist before joining the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey to work in Antarctica. He went to Antarctica in 1958, where he was known for his 'mischievous sense of humour'. Records described him as the best cook in the hut, where he was in charge of sending up meteorological weather balloons and radioing the reports to the UK every three hours. Professor Dame Jane Francis, director of the British Antarctic Survey, said: 'Dennis was one of the many brave personnel who contributed to the early science and exploration of Antarctica under extraordinarily harsh conditions. 'Even though he was lost in 1959, his memory lived on among colleagues and in the legacy of polar research.' Mr Bell thought he had got as close to his brother as he could, after going on an expedition organised by the British Antarctic Monument Trust in 2015. 'It was very, very moving,' he said, 'it lifted the pressure, a weight off my head, as it I thought that would be it.' He was told earlier this year his brother's remains had been found. 'I'm just sad my parents never got to see this day,' he said. 'It's wonderful; I'm going to meet my brother. You might say we shouldn't be thrilled, but we are. He's been found – he's come home now.'
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Remains of British researcher lost in Antarctica are FOUND after 66 years: DNA analysis confirms body under glacier belongs to Dennis 'Tink' Bell
On July 26, 1959, Dennis 'Tink' Bell, a 25 year-old British adventurer, set off on a survey expedition off the Antarctic Peninsula. The Londoner, a radio operator and meteorologist, was conducting survey work with a colleague at Ecology Glacier, a remote icy wilderness flowing into Admiralty Bay. But disaster struck when Dennis suddenly plummeted around 100ft through the ice and snow, and efforts to pull him up tragically proved fruitless. For more than 65 years after the disaster, Mr Bell's body was sadly unaccounted for – but following a new expedition in the area, the brave researcher can now be put to rest. Scientists at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have announced the discovery of Dennis' remains – among rocks exposed by the now-receding glacier. His brother David, now living in Australia, said he and his sister Valerie are 'shocked and amazed' following the discovery. 'Dennis was the oldest of three siblings and was my hero as he seemed to be able to turn his hand to anything, servicing petrol engines, photography including processing his own films,' David said. 'He built a radio from scratch, spending hours taking down morse code.' 'Bringing him home has helped us come to terms with the tragic loss of our brilliant brother.' Dennis 'Tink' Bell was brought up in Harrow, northwest London, before getting a job as a meteorologist at the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS), the predecessor of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). Keen for adventure, he was stationed for a two-year assignment at Admiralty Bay, a small UK base with half a dozen men, on King George Island off the northern coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Dennis was known on base for his humour and larger than life character, his love of theatre and eating, and for being an excellent, if messy, chef. Russel Thomson, a colleague and friend who was on base with him, described his practical jokes and spoke of his 'tremendous, tremendous character'. That fateful Sunday, Dennis and his colleague Jeff Stokes ascended Ecology Glacier with sledges pulled by husky dogs, which were showing signs of tiredness. To encourage them, Dennis went ahead to urge them on without his skis, and suddenly disappeared, leaving a gaping hole through which he had fallen. Sir Vivian Fuchs, a previous director of BAS, describes the harrowing story of Bell's death in his book 'Of Ice and Men' published in 1982. He wrote: 'Peering into the depths, Stokes called repeatedly and was greatly relieved to be answered. Lowering a rope almost a hundred feet, he told Bell to tie himself on. Who was Dennis 'Tink' Bell? Dennis Bell, known affectionately as 'Tink', was a British meteorologist, radio engineer and explorer. Raised in London, he attended Harrow County School for Boys, now Harrow High School. After leaving school and a brief period in insurance, Dennis Bell joined the Royal Air Force for National Service, trained as a radio operator. He joined Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS), the predecessor of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), as a meteorologist in 1958. He was stationed for a two-year assignment at Admiralty Bay when he tragically died in an Antarctic glacier. 'The dogs took the strain and began to pull. Now it was easy and everything was going well. But Bell had tied the rope through his belt instead of round his body, perhaps because of the angle at which he lay.' Sir Vivian Fuchs continued: 'As he reached the top his body jammed against the lip, the belt broke, and down he went again. This time there was no reply to Stoke's calls. 'It was a particularly tragic fatality which one really felt should never have happened, and thus doubly grievous.' Glaciers are always moving slowly, even though this can't usually be seen. The movement causes stress, which in turn causes cracking, making them potentially unstable. Unfortunately, the efforts of Stokes and two other men to reach Bell, risking their own lives in 'terrible conditions' to do so were unsuccessful, and his remains were never found – until this year. In January 2025, a team of researchers from the Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station on King George Island happened to be surveying the area of Admiralty Bay where Dennis went missing. They found bones in the ice and rocks, which were carried to the Falkland Islands on the BAS Royal Research Ship Sir David Attenborough and returned to London. The human remains were then sent for DNA testing by Denise Syndercombe Court, a professor in forensic genetics at King's College London. She confirmed a match with DNA samples from his brother David Bell and his sister Valerie Kelly – which are 'more than one billion times' more likely to be related than not. Sadly, Jeff Stokes, who was with 'Tink' at the time of his death, died five weeks ago before hearing the news that Dennis's remains had been found. However, his brother David will soon visit England where he and his sister will finally put Dennis to rest, he told the BBC. He said: 'It's wonderful; I'm going to meet my brother. You might say we shouldn't be thrilled, but we are. He's been found - he's come home now.' Professor Dame Jane Francis, director of BAS, said Dennis was one of the many brave FIDS personnel who contributed to the early exploration of Antarctica. 'Even though he was lost in 1959, his memory lived on among colleagues and in the legacy of polar research,' she said. 'This discovery brings closure to a decades-long mystery and reminds us of the human stories embedded in the history of Antarctic science.' What are glaciers and why are they important? Glaciers are considered one of our planet's most precious natural features. These slow moving rivers of ice, thousands of years old, reflect the sun's rays back into space - making them a natural tool in the fight against global warming. Without glaciers, the world would heat up quicker and polar ice would melt, increasing the rate of sea level rise. Glacier loss also depletes freshwater resources that millions of people depend on for drinkable water. However, glaciers can be dangerous to access, as their often jagged features are unstable and can fall. Sometimes crevasses - deep open cracks in the glaciers - are not visible because they are covered by surface snow.
