“The polar regions are responding rapidly to climate change and we now know that what happens in these remote places affects not just the poles but the whole planet. There is still a lot of learn about what is actually happening to the ice sheets and the polar oceans, and their interactions with global systems. This talk will include information about some of the ambitious projects currently being undertaken in the polar regions, and exciting new facilities to support science that could involve you, including the UK’s new icebreaker RRS Sir David Attenborough and the new Discovery building at Rothera research station in Antarctica“.

About Professor Dame Jane Francis: she is the Director of British Antarctic Survey. In 2017 she was appointed Dame Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (DCMG) in recognition of services to UK polar science and diplomacy. She became Chancellor of the University of Leeds in 2018. Her principal research interests are palaeoclimatology and palaeobotany. She specialises in the study of fossil plants, especially woods, and their use as tools for climate interpretation and information about past biodiversity. Her current work focuses on understanding past climate change during both greenhouse and icehouse periods, particularly in the polar regions, the areas on Earth most sensitive to climate change.