A SCIENTIST from Kendal will be guaranteed a white Christmas this year as he begins his mission to Antarctica next week to uncover crucial information about climate change.

Dr James France, a researcher at Royal Holloway, University of London, will leave his family home in Oxenholme Road, Kendal, on December 9 and will spend five weeks at ‘Dome C’ on top of the Antarctic plateau where he will measure light penetration into the snow as part of a £300,000 research enterprise funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC.) Dr France, from the Department of Earth Sciences, faces a demanding journey.

He will sail from Hobart, Tasmania, to the French base Durmont D’Urville (DDU) in Antarctica, from where he will then fly to ‘Dome C’.

He will spend up to six hours each day working outside and will have to adjust to the 24 hours of daylight and blisteringly cold temperatures.

Dr France said: “‘Dome C is one of the most inaccessible bases in the world.

“It’s very high up on the Antarctic Plateau, so you’re living more than 3,000 metres above sea level with temperatures around -30°C.

“It’s tough work in the field, but without doubt a fantastic opportunity.

“It will definitely be hard as I’ll miss family and friends.

“It will be strange being so far away for the Christmas season but I will no doubt bore people with the story of ‘how I was in Antarctica for Christmas’ for many, many years.”

But keen not to miss out altogether, Christmas is com-ing early in the France household and this Saturday has been declared ‘fake Christmas day’, when he and his family will enjoy a traditional festive lunch, complete with presents.

Dr France’s mission to Antarctica will be the first time an international team will analyse the chemistry of both the snowpack and the atmosphere simultaneously.

He said: “This research is vital to helping us understand the variability of the atmosphere in the past and in predicting future climate change. I am really looking forward to the sense of adventure, and being part of an international team of genuinely world class scientists.”

Royal Holloway’s renowned Department of Earth Sciences brings together leading experts across the field to embark on pioneering research enterprises.

One such expedition occurred in April, when Dr France visited Alaska to explore how the sea ice and snow interact with the atmosphere.