Historic Climate Change

On their return trek from the South Pole, Robert Falcon Scott and his team found fossil plants on the Beardmore Glacier. These fossils provide some of the first evidence that Antarctica was once covered in forest. You can find out more about Antarctica’s history here from Professor Jane Francis, an explorer and researcher at the University of Leeds who has followed in Scott’s footsteps. Professor Francis has spent 10 field seasons in Antarctica and received the Polar Medal from the Queen in 2002.  See Supporting Links [LINK]

Climate Change Today

The weather records collected by meteorologist George Simpson during the Terra Nova expedition have provided information for current assessments of climate change. Over the past 50 years, the Antarctic Peninsula has warmed by 2.8°C, faster than any other part of the world.