S5 Ep7: What to wear in Antarctica

Emma Pearce is a geophysicist… or a glaciologist - depending on who you speak to. What remains constant, however, is her dedication to understanding ice in Antarctica - and you can't do that without the right clothing!

So, what do you wear to work when your office is on an Antarctic ice shelf? Emma discovered the answer involves far more than a trip to Primark. From base layers to extreme cold weather boots, preparing for Antarctic deployment means learning an entirely new approach to staying warm. Host Nadia Frontier speaks with Emma about the thorough preparation that goes into simply getting dressed when working in Antarctica.

Emma also discusses her work on the RIFT-TIP project, where she spent six weeks living in a camp to study the Halloween Crack - a major fracture on the Brunt Ice Shelf - to understand how ice shelves break apart and what that means for our changing climate. When she's not studying ice cracks? She's crocheting pigeons of course!

This episode explores what it takes to dress for Antarctica, Emma’s journey to working at British Antarctic Survey, and what it's like to study the constantly evolving cracks on the Brunt Ice Shelf.

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Welcome to Antarctica. What's it like living and working in one of the most extreme environments in the world? From polar scientists to plumbers, ICEWORLD is a series of interviews with ordinary people who are doing extraordinary jobs in Antarctica. The team talk climate science, extreme living, expeditions and becoming a community.

A podcast from British Antarctic Survey, hosted and recorded by marine biologist Nadia Frontier.

Produced in partnership with Boffin Media.