ILLIMANI MOUNTAIN, Bolivia (Reuters) – A team of international scientists are transporting samples of ice from a melting glacier in Bolivia to Antarctica, for study and preservation before the glacier disappears.
The international “Ice Memory” expedition of 15 scientists took samples from the glacier on Illimani Mountain in the Andes and will store them in Antarctica at the French-Italian base of Concordia.
The scientists were helped by local guides and porters, who live near the base of Illimani. Clearly visible from Bolivia’s capital La Paz, Illimani’s “eternal snows” are frequently referenced in the music, mythology and literature of the Aymara people.
But scientists say global warming is rapidly melting the glaciers of the Andes, removing an important source of fresh water for many communities and threatening others with deadly avalanches. Illimani itself has warmed by 0.7 degree Centigrade in the last 18 years, said Ice Memory glaciologist Patrick Ginot.