Antarctic Channel Named in Honour of Former BBC Science Reporter Jonathan Amos

A newly created stretch of water in Antarctica has been named after Jonathan Amos, a former BBC science correspondent. The feature, now known as the Amos Channel, lies between Rothschild Island and Alexander Island in the west of the continent.

The naming committee said Amos earned the honour for his "exceptional and influential role in bringing Antarctic research to the forefront of public understanding" over a 38-year career at BBC News.

The channel is a new geographical feature. It appeared after a mass of ice that had joined Rothschild and Alexander Islands broke apart.

During his time at the BBC, Amos reported on many aspects of polar science, including the melting of the continent's ice sheets. His coverage also took in enormous icebergs and the fate of penguin colonies. He was also behind a BBC exclusive on the discovery of Ernest Shackleton's lost ship, the Endurance.

Reacting to the news, Amos called it "an extraordinary accolade" and said he was touched that "a little bit of Antarctica" now carries his name. Despite years of reporting on the region, he has never visited it. "I've written about it so often, but always from my desk," he said, adding that the honour was "quite the incentive to go and visit." He described Antarctica as "the front line of the biggest news story on planet Earth," which he said is climate change.

Names for Antarctic features are governed by strict rules. The Amos Channel was recommended by the UK Antarctic Place Names Committee, which oversees names for sites in the British Antarctic Territory, as well as South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

Athena Dinar, of the British Antarctic Survey, praised his work. She said his passion for Antarctica and engaging journalism "offers something for every reader, viewer or listener," and called the naming "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 launched the BBC News website in 1997 and ran its online science desk for many years. He later served as a science correspondent across television, radio and online before leaving the organisation in 2024.

Fiona Fox, of the Science Media Centre, said Amos consistently stressed the importance of Antarctic research. According to Fox, he explained not only what science is being done there, but also why it matters for society, climate understanding and the global environment.