Part of Antarctica named after former BBC science correspondent

ByRebecca Morelle, Science Editor and Alison Francis, Senior Science Journalist.

Key points

• A stretch of water between Rothschild Island and Alexander Island in the west of the White Continent is now called the Amos Channel.
• The Amos Channel was recommended by the UK Antarctic Place Names Committee.
• Athena Dinar, from the British Antarctic Survey, remarked: Jon's passion for Antarctica and engaging journalism offers something for every reader, viewer or listener.
• Amos joined the BBC in 1986 as a local radio reporter in Cambridge.
• The channel is a new feature in Antarctica that appeared when a chunk of ice that connected Rothschild and Alexander Islands disintegrated.

Part of Antarctica has been named after former BBC science correspondent Jonathan Amos.

Notably, a stretch of water between Rothschild Island and Alexander Island in the west of the White Continent is now called the Amos Channel.

Amos was given the honour for his "exceptional and influential role in bringing Antarctic research to the forefront of public understanding" during his 38-year career at BBC News, the naming committee remarked.

Meanwhile, the channel is a new feature in Antarctica that appeared when a chunk of ice that connected Rothschild and Alexander Islands disintegrated.

Meanwhile, the melting ice sheets of this remote continent are just one of plenty of aspects of polar science that Amos noted on while at the BBC. He additionally covered colossal icebergs, the fate of penguin colonies and a BBC exclusive concerning the discovery of Ernest Shackleton's lost ship, the Endurance.

"It's absolutely incredible – what an extraordinary accolade. I'm so touched that there's a little bit of Antarctica named after me, " Amos remarked.

Despite his fascination with the South Pole, he has not yet travelled to the continent.

I've written regarding it so often, but always from my desk – this is quite the incentive to go and visit.

"Antarctica is the front line of the biggest news story on planet Earth – climate change, " he continued. The naming of geographical features in Antarctica follows strict rules.

Meanwhile, the Amos Channel was recommended by the UK Antarctic Place Names Committee. It looks after names for sites within the British Antarctic Territory, as well as South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

"The naming of an Antarctic place in his honour is a fitting recognition of his outstanding contribution to the promotion of Antarctic research."

Amos joined the BBC in 1986 as a local radio reporter in Cambridge. He was part of the team that introduced the BBC News website in 1997, and ran the online science desk for numerous years. He afterwards worked as a BBC science correspondent throughout TV, radio and online, before leaving the organisation in 2024.

"Jon consistently highlighted the importance of Antarctic research, explaining not only what science is being done there, but why it matters for society, climate understanding and the global environment, " remarked Fiona Fox, from the Science Media Centre.

For now, part of Antarctica named after former BBC science correspondent remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.