Vital climate research destroyed by fire, say scientists

A fire at a British research laboratory in the Antarctic has dealt a significant blow to research into the world's understanding of climate change.

An electrical fault was identified as the most likely cause of the blaze that destroyed the £2m laboratory at the Rothera Station in September. Scientists prepared yesterday to restart studies in the harsh environment around the South Pole.

The British Antarctic Survey (BAS), which analyses climate change and its effects on marine life off the Antarctic Peninsula, said a rebuilt Bonner Laboratory would be fully operational by the end of 2003 but the fire had interrupted its extensive research programme.

Up to 80 staff work at the station over the Antarctic summer but scientists are concerned that a year's enforced break may have major implications for long-running monitoring programmes that had been going for up to six years. The station is considered to be vital to understanding the effects of pollution and global warming. Evidence of climate changes during the past 500,000 years is found by analysing the thick ice sheets of the Antarctic.

Professor Paul Rodhouse, the head of the biological sciences division of BAS, said: "If this season is one in which a major trend takes off or is pivotal in some way, clearly it would be more difficult to interpret what went on. We won't know that until we have seen the time series in a year or two."

A winter staff of 21 were at the base when the fire started in a small loft above a boot room at the laboratory, away from the main accommodation block.

The staff were unable to control the fire but managed to rescue some data from the burning building. Exploding gas bottles finished the destruction but nobody was hurt.

The burnt-out laboratory was buried under six feet of snow when a fire investigation team examined the remains in October. Samples brought back to Britain confirmed an electrical fault was the likely cause.

A five-strong clean-up team will arrive at Rothera in early January and will repair foundations for the new laboratory.

The BAS, based in Cambridge, has set up an internal inquiry to look into how the fire started and the investigation team yesterday reported its interim findings. The director of BAS, Professor Chris Rapley, said a report in the New Year would reveal if anyone was to blame for the fire. He added: "Obviously we did not build and design the buildings for them to burn down but it did and there was something wrong."