2018 Baillet Latour Antarctica Fellowship Awarded to Dr. Kate Winter, Northumbria University
Brussels, Belgium – Dr. Kate Winter of Northumbria University, has been awarded the prestigious €150,000 Baillet Latour Antarctica Fellowship for her proposal “BioFe in Glacial Systems”.
Dr. Winter was selected after an independent peer review process, which recommended Dr. Winter for the proposed project which was found to meet the objectives of scientific excellence.This exceptional young British polar scientist will conduct research at Princess Elisabeth, the Belgian Zero Emissions Research station in East Antarctica.
The project which involves undertaking cutting edge geomorphological research around the Belgian Princess Elizabeth station operational area will contribute to advancing the diversity of the research being carried out in the region. Her proposal will contribute particularly to understanding the transport of nutrients in sediments from inland areas of the Antarctic to the Southern Ocean. This goal will fill a gap in scientific investigation of ice sheets, and ocean fertilisation processes.
‘I am delighted and honoured to win the Baillet Latour Antarctic Fellowship. The Fonds Baillet Latour and the International Polar Foundation are giving me a unique opportunity to establish myself in a highly competitive international field. The award will allow me to conduct research in East Antarctica, one of the worlds most remote and extreme environments. It will enable me to answer important science questions that early career researchers are often not given the chance to solve.’ Dr. Kate Winter, Northumbria University
In December 2018, Dr. Winter will travel to Princess Elisabeth to begin her fieldwork. Her research will focus on the contribution of ice flow to the uptake of carbon dioxide by the Southern Ocean. She will use recent advances in terrestrial laser scanning, structure-from-motion photogrammetry and ice penetrating radar to assess how sediment sources of iron are transferred through the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. She will examine the contribution of these sediments to marine productivity in the Southern Ocean, a process which can reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide. Her research may provide important knowledge on how Antarctica is playing a role in future global climate change.
More information about BioFe will be available over the next two years on: www.polarfoundation.org
Baillet Latour Antarctica Fellowship
The Baillet Latour Antarctica Fellowship is a joint initiative between the International Polar Foundation and the Baillet Latour Fund. This award promotes science and scientific excellence in Antarctica through young research scientists. The fellowship, worth € 150 000, recognizes the importance of science carried out in Antarctica for improving the understanding of Earth, and encourages scientific research at, or close to the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica polar research station.