The race is on for glaciologists, who are “watching their primary material disappear from the planet’s surface forever”, Jerome Chapalaz, president of the Ice Memory Foundation, told AFP on April 3.
“It is our responsibility as glaciologists of this generation to make sure that even a little bit of it is preserved.”
When the researchers had three ice samples, temperatures in Svalbard soared to -3C, turning part of the route back to their base at the Ny-Alesund research station into a treacherous stream of water.
Two ice cores made it to base but the third is still stuck at the drilling site, waiting to be sent out for more clement weather.
Meanwhile, Ice Memory has made an international plea to other researchers.
“We need (them) … to collect samples from rapidly endangered glaciers or save … the ice cores already collected to preserve these very precious data at the Ice Memory Sanctuary in Antarctica.” to save,” paleoclimatologist and ice memory Vice-said. Chair Carlo Barbante.
“If we lose records like this, we lose the memory of human change of climate,” insisted Anne-Catherine Ollmann, director of Ice Memory.
“We will also lose important information for future scientists and policy makers who will have to make decisions for the good of society.”