The Wider Image: Climate change thaws world’s northernmost research station

    CNR (Italian National Research Council) geochemist and expedition leader Andrea Spolaor, 39, walks along the Ice Memory drilling camp, near Ny-Aalesund, Svalbard, Norway, April 10, 2023. A team of scientists was drilling 125 meters into Dovrebreen glacier, hoping to collect two ice cores for studying 300 years of climate records – part of an effort by the non-profit Ice Memory Foundation to collect and preserve ice cores from melting glaciers around the world – and were shocked when the drill, at only 25 meters deep, suddenly sloshed into a massive pool of water. “We did not expect such a huge water flux coming out from the glacier, and this is a clear sign of what is happening in this region,” Spolaor said. “The glacier is suffering.” REUTERS/Lisi Niesner