Doing science in the cryosphere, especially in the Arctic and the Antarctic, is pretty demanding, even risky. The fact that lives have been lost in polar waters should dissuade us from naming the new NERC boat Boaty McBoatface, whose temporary jocularity would quickly fade from memory, while investigators carry on with their long-term work, essential at a time when ice-mass throughout the world is under multiple threats, especially by warming of the climate (Report, 18 April). A better choice would be the name of a young female researcher, Katherine Giles, certainly known to all aboard the new vessel. She was both a highly skilled ice analyst at University College London and a feet-on-the-ice investigator of Antarctica itself. Three years ago, clearly choosing a mode of transport in accordance with her environmentally focused professional practice, she lost her life while cycling in London traffic. No better acknowledgment of her stature could be made than by naming this ship after her.
Mike Koefman
Planet Hydrogen, Manchester
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