TIMBR (Transect for the Investigation of Mass Balance Reduction in East Antarctica) is dedicated to monitoring how snow accumulates across the East Antarctic Ice Sheet and how these changes influence the overall mass balance of the ice sheet.

The project follows a 180-kilometre transect stretching from Vesthaugen Nunatak to the coast of Queen Maud Land. Along this route, a network of measurement stakes provides a long-term record of snow accumulation, snow density and surface conditions. These observations have been collected using consistent methods since 2009, creating one of the longest continuous datasets of its kind in the region.

Antarctica's ice sheet gains mass through snowfall and loses mass through processes such as melting, sublimation and ice flow into the ocean. Understanding this balance is essential for predicting how the Antarctic Ice Sheet will respond to climate change and how it may contribute to future sea-level rise. Because direct field measurements in East Antarctica are relatively scarce, the TIMBR dataset provides valuable ground observations that can be used to validate satellite measurements and improve glaciological models.

By maintaining this long-term monitoring programme, TIMBR contributes to a better understanding of Antarctica's changing climate and strengthens international research on the evolution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet.