DiscoverIceworldS4 Ep10: Moss, mites, bacteria and algae: looking for the smallest life in Antarctica
S4 Ep10: Moss, mites, bacteria and algae: looking for the smallest life in Antarctica

S4 Ep10: Moss, mites, bacteria and algae: looking for the smallest life in Antarctica

Update: 2025-03-24
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From algae and moss, to mites and bacteria, Antarctica is teaming with life - a lot of it is just really small. Nadia chats to four Dutch researchers from the Gerritz Laboratory at Rothera Research Station, each looking for answers about Antarctica's smallest terrestrial and marine life.

Mareike Bach talks about her fascinating search for sea ice algae, drilling into pancake ice from a cradle suspended from a ship. Dr Swan Sow maps microbial life in the Southern Ocean to understand how climate change impacts nutrient cycles. Dr Stef Bokhorst explores the relationship between Antarctic plants and invertebrates, and Seringe Huisman uses satellite imagery to map mosses and lichens.

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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. 

A podcast from British Antarctic Survey, hosted and recorded by marine biologist Nadia Frontier. Produced in partnership with Boffin Media. Cover photo by Stef Bokhorst.
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S4 Ep10: Moss, mites, bacteria and algae: looking for the smallest life in Antarctica

S4 Ep10: Moss, mites, bacteria and algae: looking for the smallest life in Antarctica

British Antarctic Survey