 This expedition assembled a large collection of animal , marine and plant specimens , and carried out extensive hydrographic , magnetic and meteorological observations . One hundred years later it was recognised that the expedition 's work had " laid the foundation of modern climate change studies " , and that its experimental work had showed this part of the globe to be crucially important to the world 's climate . According to the oceanographer Tony Rice , it fulfilled a more comprehensive programme than any other Antarctic expedition of its day . At the time , however , its reception in Britain was relatively muted ; although its work was highly praised within sections of the scientific community , Bruce struggled to raise the funding to publish his scientific results , and blamed Markham for the lack of national recognition . 
