New Antarctic waterway named for BBC veteran Jonathan Amos
A newly formed channel between two islands in the British Antarctic Territory honors the science correspondent for his 38 years of coverage.
By Evelyn Adeyemi ·
A body of water in the far west of Antarctica now bears the name of a British broadcaster. The new feature is called the Amos Channel, a direct result of climate change and the retreat of ice.
The channel exists where a bridge of ice once connected Rothschild Island and Alexander Island. That link has since disintegrated, leaving a gap in the landscape of the White Continent. This physical change creates a new geographical feature that required an official designation.
Jonathan Amos spent 38 years with BBC News. He joined the organization in 1986 as a local radio reporter in Cambridge. By 1997, he was part of the team that launched the BBC News website. He later ran the online science desk and served as a science correspondent across television, radio, and digital platforms before leaving the BBC in 2024.
The naming committee cited his "exceptional and influential role in bringing Antarctic research to the forefront of public understanding." During his tenure, Amos covered melting ice sheets, massive icebergs, and the status of penguin colonies. He also reported on the discovery of Ernest Shackleton's lost ship, the Endurance, a story that received exclusive coverage from the BBC.
Amos described the honor as "absolutely incredible" and an "extraordinary accolade." He noted that he has written about the region for decades but has never physically visited the continent. The new name serves as an incentive for him to make the trip. He characterized Antarctica as the front line of the biggest news story on planet Earth, which is climate change.
The UK Antarctic Place Names Committee recommended the name. This body oversees names for sites within the British Antarctic Territory, including South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Athena Dinar of the British Antarctic Survey said the naming recognizes Amos's "outstanding contribution to the promotion of Antarctic research." Fiona Fox of the Science Media Centre added that Amos explained why the science matters for society and the global environment.
The naming process for Antarctic features follows strict international rules. The recommendation from the UK committee is part of a larger system that manages geographical identifiers in the region. The Amos Channel is now an official part of that system.
