Ian Frearson

Established the Arctic Research Group in 1988 after taking part in three previous Arctic expeditions.  He has participated in eleven successful scientific research expeditions to Alaska and Svalbard (eight of these as leader).  He has worked extensively on various aspects of glaciation, predominantly those in or affected by surge.  Additional field work has included exploration on foot in and around research areas, across ice caps, assistance with soil acidification and geological projects.  In Alaska he climbed several unnamed peaks in the Chugach range.  He spent some years as Section Leader in Mountain Rescue, is a competent mountaineer and climber, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a member of the Arctic Club.

Steve Staley PhD FGS

Group Deputy Leader.  He works as a geologist and geophysicist and, more recently, he also serves as a director of several publicly quoted and private companies.   His first Arctic trip was in 1983 when he worked alongside Ian Frearson on a glacial survey since when he has spent four seasons with the ARG in Svalbard working on both the local geology and conducting gravity surveys over glaciers to help determine ice depth and bedrock profiles.  Steve has a PhD in geochemistry, is a Fellow of the Geological Society and a member of the Arctic Club

Professor Graeme (George) Shaw PhD

Professor of Environmental Science at Nottingham University and formerly Reader at Imperial College, George has previously worked in the vicinity of the stricken Chernobyl nuclear power plant and, more recently, in the Fukushima prefecture in Japan.  He has published extensively on diverse aspects of environmental pollution and has undertaken numerous research and teaching trips to Arctic Sweden and beyond.  He has visited Svalbard twice with the ARG and is a Member of the Arctic Club.

 

 

 

 

Chris Searston

Chris first visited Svalbard in 1991 with the Group as photographer.  He then repeated Group expeditions in both 1993 and 1999.  Since then he has visited the Archipelago a further 12 times, either taking first timers on introductory interest trips, or making solo visits.  Following a bear attack on the Group in 1993, he has been developing a perimeter tripwire warning system for the protection of camps in wilderness areas.  This has since been adopted as the system of choice by the BES (British Exploring Society – formerly  BSES – British Schools Exploring Society), and promoted for it’s significant advantages during an inquiry by a High Court Judge into a serious polar bear incident which took place in 2011 on Svalbard.  It is now being used world-wide for the protection of explorers.  He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and Member of the Arctic Club.

Simon Hall MSc

Simon was a member of the Groups 1990 expedition to the Rindersbukta area of Van Mijenfjord where he spent much of his time in mountain support and assisting with the Geology project.  He has a BSc in Geology and an MSc in Computing so is a valuable commodity for remote, scientifically based expeditions of this sort.  He will be working alongside Dr Staley on the geology and support to the glaciology project.  Simon has climbed extensively in the UK and abroad and is a very competent mountaineer and climber.

 

George  is an undergraduate at Keele University where he is studying Ecology and Economics.  despite his tender years he has several seasons experience in mountainous terrain, is a competent climber and has spent some weeks alone and on foot travelling in the mountains of North Norway,  He has visited USA, Peru, China and many other countries where he has camped and climbed.  He will be part of the team working on the Plant Ecology

Base Camp on the shores of Rindersbukta 1990.   The Group’s own flag depicting a Polar Fox under the Norwegian flag under the Union flag may be seen.