S5 Ep7: What to wear in Antarctica

S5 Ep7: What to wear in Antarctica

From Iceworld by British Antarctic Survey

November 24, 2025 · 36 min · Season 5 · Episode 7

About this episode

Emma Pearce discusses the necessary clothing for working in Antarctica and her research on ice shelf fractures.

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. --- Welcome to Antarctica…

People in this episode

Host: Nadia Frontier

Guest: Emma Pearce

Topics covered

  • Antarctica
  • clothing
  • geophysics
  • glaciology
  • climate change

Keywords

  • ice
  • Brunt Ice Shelf
  • RIFT-TIP project
  • Halloween Crack

Mentioned in this episode

Products: cold weather boots, base layers

Books & works: ICEWORLD

Places: Antarctica, Antarctic, Primark, the Halloween Crack, the Brunt Ice Shelf

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