State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

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Finally on Ice

Camping on the Northwall Firn Glacier.
Camping on the Northwall Firn Glacier.

With the blessing of two wonderful days of clear weather, all our equipment was moved into place this morning. The ice coring can now begin. We anticipate finishing the drill assembly today and drilling by mid-morning tomorrow at three sites on the Northwall Firn glacier: the two “domes” and the saddle, where the team will look for ice-filled crevasses with sonar while the first dome is being drilled.

All that will remain after this is the simple matter of getting the ice from this glacier back to our freezer facility in Ohio without melting. (And this is not a simple matter!)

Photos here are courtesy of Scott Hanna and David Christenson of Freeport McMoRan.

A view from the glacier.
A view from the glacier.
The warm morning sun beats down on these retreating glaciers.
The warm morning sun beats down on these retreating glaciers.
Freezers hoisted on to the glacier, powered by generator, will keep our ice cores frozen until they can be transported to a large freezer in Tembagapura.  We will use a large plastic container, normally used in mining operations, to hold the cores.
Freezers hoisted on to the glacier, powered by generator, will keep our ice cores frozen until they can be transported to a large freezer in Tembagapura. We will use a large plastic container, normally used in mining operations, to hold the cores.
Setting up camp.
Setting up camp.
Photo of the Earth from space with the text "Lamont at AGU25" on top.

AGU25, the premier Earth and space science conference, takes place December 15-19, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s theme—Where Science Connects Us—puts in focus how science depends on connection, from the lab to the field to the ballot box. Once again, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia Climate School scientists, experts, students, and educators are playing an active role, sharing our research and helping shape the future of our planet. #AGU25 Learn More

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