Of all the world’s oceans, the Southern Ocean absorbs the majority of human-generated heat and carbon, helping to slow the pace of climate change and keep our planet liveable. Meanwhile, the vast ice sheets of Antarctica act as an ‘air conditioner’ for our planet, reflecting 50-70% of incoming solar radiation. The Southern Ocean is a ‘natural laboratory’ for vital scientific research, impossible to achieve anywhere else on the planet.

From remote Antarctica to the towering Himalayas, accelerating ice loss under climate change casts a stark shadow over ecosystems, coastlines, and the equilibrium of our global environment. Glaciologists like Professor Andrew Mackintosh work to understand past glacier and ice sheet changes to improve future predictions – and that future looks bleak.