Ship to explore climate ‘tipping points’

The research ship RRS Sir David Attenborough has set sail for a six-month deployment to Antarctica to examine the threat of future sea-level rises and dangers for marine biodiversity.

The £200 million polar research ship, which has a 30-strong crew with up to 60 scientists and support staff onboard, left its home port of Harwich in Essex yesterday.

It is set to arrive at Rothera Research Station, on the Antarctic peninsula by Christmas.

Professor Dame Jane Francis, director of British Antarctic Survey, which operates the ship, said scientists were investigating tipping points “where the earth goes into irreversible change” such as the west Antarctic ice sheet.

She said: “If that ice sheet does melt, it holds about three to five metres of global sea level rise, so what happens in Antarctica won’t just stay in Antarctica.”

The ship will use an artificial intelligence system that will recommend the fastest and most fuel-efficient routes between locations, taking into account sea ice, ocean dynamics and weather.