UK Polar Facilities
Whilst the UK is not an Arctic nation it does have resources deployed in the region and these are potentially available for use by UK researchers.
NERC Arctic Station
Our only long term presence is the NERC Arctic Station, managed by British Antarctic Survey, which is located in the Svalbard research village of Ny-Ålesund. This provides facilities/accommodation for UK researchers for around 4 months each year and the webpage provides a guide to accessing the Station.
NERC Research Vessels
The UK has a number of marine research vessels of which two (James Clark Ross and Ernest Shackleton) are ice strengthened and can work in marginal pack ice whilst the others can only safely work in open water. Links are provided to information on cruise planning and the application process.
NERC Research Aircraft
Traditionally the NERC research aircraft fleet has rarely been deployed in the High Arctic but there is potential to take these aircraft more regularly into the Arctic in the future.