Survival of the coolest

As a scientist dealing with the chemistry of the atmosphere at the polar regions, Neil says Antarctica is the closest thing we have to a natural pre-industrial environment making it an ideal place to better understand the chemical composition and processes without the influence of man.

It is here in the most extreme of environments that Neil gathers vital information about the threat of man-made climate change.

As a child brought up in Cumbria, Neil’s passion for science was inspired by programmes such as Star Trek and Dr Who. His Christmas gift of a chemistry set and microscope fuelled his dreams.

Today he is an atmospheric chemist with the British Antarctic Survey and it was his work in this area which brought him recently to our television screens on BBC Two’s Horizon.

In the episode Ice Station Antarctica, Neil met BBC weatherman Peter Gibbs as he (Peter) made an emotional return to the British Antarctic Survey’s Halley Research Station where he lived and worked in the early 80s.

The research station has more recently been home to 47-year-old Neil who lived in Mirehouse and went to Whitehaven Grammar. His nearest neighbours are penguins and for over three months of the year the sun never rises.

<img src="http://www.cnnewmedia.co.uk/locker/ns/image/Cap4ure.jpg" alt="Halley Ice Station photo" title="Halley Ice Station" width="625">

It is a harsh environment not for the faint-hearted but one which Neil has come to love.

He says in his lingering west Cumbrian twang: “The summer season is the busiest time of the year when the station is refueled, reloaded with food, science and people.

Station on the move...

The Halley Ice Station is a set of colourful pods on a floating ice shelf in coastal Antarctica.

Run by the British Antarctic Survey, it exists to measure changes in the Earth’s atmosphere, launch weather balloons, sample air quality and track the progress of man-made climate change.

Halley, which held the key to the discovery of the ozone hole in 1985, is a 12-day, 3,000-mile voyage onboard the RRS Ernest Shackleton.

It is the sixth station to be built on the Brunt ice shelf, the first being a wooden hut built in 1956 which was buried with time and abandoned less than 10 years later.

The new building is designed to cope with more extreme changes in the environment and adjustable ski legs allow it to move up above the continual snow accumulation and be pulled across the frozen continent.

But despite its futuristic design the research station's home is a floating ice shelf that constantly moves and cracks, and the ice shelf has developed a chasm that could cast Halley adrift into the Weddell Sea on a massive iceberg.

As a result of this the research station will be relocated to a new, safer site over the next year.

“The station can accommodate up to about 52 people including carpenters, chefs, mechanics, vehicle drivers and scientists.

“A family atmosphere runs through the station. There are shared living quarters of between two and four people, recreational indoor facilities with gym, pool tables and pull down cinema screen as well as outdoor skiing, running and kiting.

“Chefs provide the necessary dietary requirements and everyone at some stage gets to help out whether it be baking a cake or just peeling the vegetables – when we have them – and washing the dishes.

“To boost morale and to give people a bit of time away from the station, trips to the coast to climb the 30 metre ice shelf or watch the tall, colourful and noisy Emperor penguins waddle around frequently occur.

“The summer season is short and the days long and tiring so routines and guidelines for work need to be adhered to and altered accordingly.

“That is why morale is such an important factor in making a content and safe station and as such many activities are organised during the week for people to relax and reflect.”

With approach of winter, however, the temperature drops dramatically and the light fades to three months of total darkness. This is when Halley becomes virtually deserted save for a select few, usually about 11, who stay on to provide support for the science and the continual running of the station.

Neil’s main work is ensuring the continual and smooth operation of the CASLab (Clean Air Sector Laboratory) which provides a state-of-the-art facility in an environment which has the cleanest air in the world.

He explains: “We measure a variety of greenhouses gases, long-term measurements, as well as process studies to better understand the chemistry and the world that we live in. It is an ideal natural laboratory.

“The natural environment of Antarctica provides various challenges such as temperature changes, -2C in the summer to -56C in the winter, light levels and gale force winds that can last for days and bury a vehicle under snow within hours. Everyone has to help out on the station to ensure a safe and pleasant experience.”

Despite his globe-trotting – Neil has travelled worldwide including China, India, south-east Asia and Australia – he still has his roots in west Cumbria where his two sisters and one brother live in the Whitehaven area.

He finished his education at Whitehaven School sixth form at 18, going on to study physical chemistry at university in Leicester. After a period of travel he went on to study for a PhD in polymer chemistry at Queen’s University in Belfast, which was sponsored by chemical giant Du Pont.

After gaining his doctorate he worked in a biotechnology laboratory for a year on medical diagnostic equipment on the outskirts of Belfast before taking up an environmental position at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich to measure the nitrogen composition of the atmosphere.

Neil continues: “It was here that my research interests were formed and developed. Along this journey I was able to undertake chemical analysis of the atmosphere on board a C-130 Hercules aircraft that was operated by the MET office.

“I travelled during this time to remote and beautiful destinations such as the Jungfrau in Switzerland, Cape Grim in Tasmania and Mace Head in Ireland as well as any others which are all situated in strategic positions to provide information about the clean, unpolluted air.

“After five years I left UEA to participate in a long distance cycle trip from Scotland to Africa but after six weeks – having made it from the Outer Hebrides to Liverpool– a position came up at the British Antarctic Survey that was too good to turn down and would take me on a journey that would enthral and fascinate me.”