A photo of a snow-capped Mount Everest

The National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest 2019 Expedition that six Institute of Climate Change the explorers participated in set three Guinness World Records.

The three records, presented in the latest edition of the Guinness World Records:

  • Highest altitude Ice core collected: 8,020 meters (26,312 feet), extracted from the South Col glacier. The complex operation involved a team of more than 30 scientists and Sherpas using a specially modified drilling system.
  • Highest altitude microplastic found on earth: Several polymer fibers – probably from clothing or tents – found at 8,440 meters (27,690 feet). The density was 12 fibers per liter of snow.
  • Highest Land Weather Station: Installed at “Balcony”, a ridge 8,430 meters (27,657 feet) above sea level. This is the very first land weather station in the ” death ”, which is above 8,000 meters.
A photo of scientists drilling an ice core on Mount Everest
Dirk Collins / National GeographicClimatologist Mariusz Potocki uses a specially designed drill to take an ice core sample from Everest’s South Pass. The National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition was the most comprehensive science expedition in history to the mountain. A diverse team of scientists, storytellers, mountaineers and expert guides studied the geography, geology and biodiversity of the mountain; installed a network of meteorological stations, including the highest in the world; and collected ice and lake cores, all to better understand the impacts of climate change on the world’s highest mountain.

ITC director Paul Mayewski was the expedition’s scientific and expedition leader; Assistant Professor Aaron Putnam was co-leader of the geology team; doctoral student Mariusz Potocki was a member of the Glaciology and Summit teams and collected the record ice core; graduate student Heather Clifford was part of the glaciology team; and graduate student Peter Strand and Laura Mattas, then an undergraduate and now a graduate, were on the geology team.

The National Geographic Society and Guinness World Records jointly unveiled all three titles on September 29.

The record-breaking expedition was the most comprehensive scientific expedition in history to Mount Everest. The team’s innovative research helps to better understand and find solutions to the impacts of climate change on mountain systems. These glaciers provide essential water resources for the more than one billion people who live downstream.

Contact Person: Beth Staples, [email protected]