The coldwater marine aquarium at the British Antarctic Survey

A low-temperature marineaquarium has been maintained at the British Antarctic Survey(BAS) headquarters in Cambridge for over 15 years. In 1988 acompletely new aquarium system was designed and construct ed toprovide a cold-water environment for holding a variety ofAntarctic fishes and invertebrates. The philosophy behind the newAntarctic aquarium is to provide a controlled environment in asystem that is simple to maintain. One of the most importantenvironmental conditions is the provision of a continuous low airtemperature and controlled sea water temperature, to facilitatethe transfer of specimens between holding and research facilitieswithout there being a significant difference between air andwater temperatures. In this way specimens are freed from thedangers of temperature stress. This paper describes how theseconditions have been established. It outlines the design,construction and operation of the BAS Marine Aquarium, one of theUK's most unusual marine researchfacilities.