Iceworld
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Iceworld episodes

  • S3 Ep12: Yes, diving in Antarctica is COLD - with Jack Gordon and Mike Lindsell
    Have you ever wondered what it's like to go diving in the freezing ocean around Antarctica? Meet Jack Gordon and Mike Lindsell, Field Dive Officers at Rothera Research Station, who are no strangers to braving immersion down to -1.8°C during winter. Their job is to look after the safety of marine scientists as they study life deep in Antarctic waters.
    In this episode, host Nadia Frontier chats to Jack about his adventures during his 7th season South - from the highs of spotting local penguins, to evacuating a dive in sudden changing conditions. Later in the show, Nadia chats to experienced commercial diver Mike about his first winter in Antarctica, after a number of years auditing and training divers for British Antarctic Survey.
    Today's Antarctic lingo:
    • 'Dingle Day' - a beautiful, sunny and clear day
    • 'Winter trip' - as part of wintering at Rothera, the team can go on short exploratory expeditions.
    • 'Winter gift' - winterers at Rothera learn and deploy their craft skills to make each other gifts to mark Midwinter's Day!
    • Iceworld is presented by marine biologist Nadia Frontier, and produced in partnership with Boffin Media.
      23 min
    • S3 Ep11: Fixing Skidoos in Antarctica with Matthew McPherson
      Vehicle mechanic Matthew McPherson chats to Nadia Frontier about fixing skidoos, his love for building snow tunnels and skiing. It's no surprise that Matthew's draw to Antarctica started with his fascination of snow.
      This episode was recorded live in the Rothera garage, a location where plant is maintained and specialists parts are machined on a metal lathe.
      Cover photograph of plant operator Angus and Vehicle Mechanic Matthew McPherson snow clearing the runway by Sam Hunt. This episode is produced in partnership with Boffin Media.
      17 min
    • S3: Happy Midwinter, from King Edward Point Research Station
      Welcome to the longest night of the dark Antarctic winter - and the biggest celebration in the polar calendar. Coming to you (almost) live from King Edward Point (KEP) Research Station on the sub-Antarctic Island of South Georgia, Nadia Frontier chats to five members of the team as they prepare their hand-made gifts, limber up for the station olympics, and think about friends and family at home.
      Midwinter is celebrated every year on 21 June by all of the stations of different nations across the frozen South. This year, host Nadia is one of the nine intrepid winterers at KEP who will be marking their journey half way out of the dark.
      Featured in this episode are: Winter Station Leader Cameron Fox-Clarke, Marine Biologist Katie Wells, Mechanical Maintenance Technician Ash Shinn, Doctor Tom Hubbard, and Boating Officer Louis Day.
      26 min
    • S3 Ep10: Engineers of Antarctica, with Jonathan Witherstone & Jaskiran Nagi
      From living beside a growing ice chasm, to signing up to live in Antarctica through dark Antarctic Winter - Jaskiran Nagi and Jonathan Witherstone are electronics engineers with a shared love of knowing how things work and being outdoors. 
      Jas chats about his work at Halley Research Station and maintaining the seismic instruments on the ice shelf there, and Jonathan reveals the surprisingly low-tech secrets behind maintaining comms in the snow at Rothera Research Station.
      Iceworld is presented by marine biologist Nadia Frontier, produced in partnership with Boffin Media; cover photo by Dani Stewart.
      25 min
    • S3: Fossil hunting and managing Antarctic mud, with the Seymour Island expedition team
      Featuring ammonites shaped like giant paperclips, curry cooking in the field, and emergency mud liquidation techniques - this team of fossil hunters are fresh off their expedition to Antarctica's Seymour Island. Led by Dr Rowan Whittle from British Antarctic Survey (BAS), they want to understand how life on the Antarctic sea floor evolved over the last 100 million years.
      Host Nadia Frontier chats to Rowan about leading her first major Antarctic expedition, along with team members Dr James Witts from the Natural History Museum, BAS paleobiologist Dr Saurav Dutta, and Field Guide Sam Hunt. 
      Iceworld is presented by marine biologist Nadia Frontier, produced in partnership with Boffin Media.
      34 min
    • S3 Ep9: Watching wild weather in Antarctica, with Jo Cole
      Meteorologist Jo Cole chats to Nadia Frontier about fixing weather stations in remote locations, and seeing the sun return after Winter from the top of a mountain.
      Being a meteorologist in Antarctica is a busy job! From launching weather balloons, to making hourly observations to support flights on the frozen continent, the information captured is important for safe operations *and* science.
      Produced in partnership with Boffin Media.
      19 min
    • S3 Ep8: From Arran to Antarctica with Niall Macleod
      In a conversation ranging from ice climbing to the trials of wearing a kilt in Antarctica, Nadia chats to Niall Macleod, the Plant Operator at Rothera Research Station through Antarctic Winter. 
      Niall's route to Antarctica was through agriculture, quarrying and civil engineering - before deciding that he wanted to do something for the environment. His job is to look after the research station's unusual machinery, and to keep the snow at bay as it blows through in the darkest period of the year. In his own words: he likes helping people.
      This episode's Antarctic glossary:
      • 'Snowcat' - a big truck on caterpillar tracks that can be used to clear snow or tow heavy loads.
      • 'Scheds' - the high frequency radio communication set up at field camps so that the station can communicate with field parties.
      • 'Smooth Operator' - the name of Niall's claimed climbing route... and tongue-in-cheek nickname for himself.
      • Iceworld is presented and recorded by Nadia Frontier, and produced in partnership with Boffin Media.
        19 min
      • S3 Ep7: Leading polar expeditions, with Ed Luke and Matthew Shepherd
        A field guide is one of the most highly skilled and varied jobs in Antarctica. From accompanying scientists on expeditions, training their colleagues to survive on the ice and fixing sledges, there's never a dull day.
        Polar field guides Ed Luke and Matthew Shepherd talk to Nadia about life on the ice and extreme camping. 
        Produced in partnership with Boffin Media; cover photo by Ed Luke.
        35 min
      • S3: Leadership and a life on the ice, with Professor Dame Jane Francis
        How many people can say they've lost count of their visits to Antarctica? In this special International Women's Day episode, Professor Dame Jane Francis (Director of British Antarctic Survey) chats to Nadia about her journey into science, fossil hunting in Antarctic mud, launching the RRS Sir David Attenborough with Sir David Attenborough, and leading change.
        Iceworld is presented by marine biologist Nadia Frontier, produced in partnership with Boffin Media.
        33 min
      • S3 Ep6: Chefs of Antarctica, with Sadhbh Moore and Katy Rumm
        Imagine cooking for 160 with only frozen, tinned and dried food... for a whole season. We all know the stomach is the route to the heart, so the meals need to feel fresh, nourishing and varied. Chefs might have the most important job at Rothera Research Station!
        In this episode, Summer chef Sadhbh Moore chats to host Nadia Frontier about food sustainability, pickling and preserving, and channelling Hemsley + Hemsley. Winter Chef Katy talks about cooking with staff as the solo chef on station, her love of skiing, and the instinctive recipe adaptations that are part of being a chef in Antarctica.
        Produced in partnership with Boffin Media.
        33 min

      About Iceworld

      From the publisher's feed

      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. 

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