World's Highest Ice Core and Laser Sampling

Abstract:

From April to June 2019 the National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Extreme Expedition to Mt. Everest conducted an international, multi-disciplinary expedition that resulted in several new world records for science including the highest ice core ever recovered from the South Col of Mt. Everest (8,020 m), in addition to other ice cores collected lower on the Khumbu Glacier. South Col glacier is the highest glacier on Mt. Everest. Because of the extreme conditions at South Col - effective amount of oxygen (!7.7% what is !) compared to sea level (20.9%), and an average annual temperature of -22oC, working at this elevation requires supplementary oxygen and significant acclimatization. Challenges involved in the recovery of the South Col ice core included working at 8020 m for an extended period of time and using a drilling system that had never been tested at this altitude. Despite the team recovered a 10m ice core close to the upper reaches of the glacier and a 2m ice core from the base of the glacier. Preliminary results using the Climate Change Institute’s WM Keck Laser Ice Facility laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry sampling (120 micron resolution) will be presented.