18 November: Science day

A few weeks ago the “Science Days” took place in Bolzano at EURAC. It is a type of fair around the subject of teaching science, where students, teachers and authorities met in order to find out about and present the projects currently ongoing in the Autonomous Province of Bolzano.

This initiative is organised by the Italian Division for Education and Training – Pedagogical Section- of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano. The schools participating in the Ortler project also took part and each student group gave a brief presentation on their own work to the audience. You can find all presentations on our homepage.

It was a unique opportunity to observe personally whether and how much has been going on in the schools regarding this project. It all happened only short time after those 20 days in September, when the three main educational activities took place: the glaciology camp, the visit to the perforation site and the Social Media Campus.

We were particularly impressed by the enthusiasm, the energy and the passion demonstrated by the students while presenting their experiences. They used various methods: short papers, close examinations, picture galleries, etc. All this also positively impressed the (young and older) students visiting the fair.

1st October – Two – nil

Last night at midnight the perforation system was able to extract an ice core from the lower part of the summit glacier of the Ortler mountain, which lies directly on the rock. It is the second time within a few days that the team has been able to perforate the whole glacier.

Continue reading… →

27th September – First match point

Almost there.

The good climatic conditions of the last few days meant the researchers were able to accelerate the ice core drilling operations. The top of the ice core drilling system is currently located at a depth of 70 metres below the surface of the glacier. According to georadar measurements made in recent years (2008, 2009, 2010), the glacier’s depth was estimated at not more than 75 metres.

This is the “first match point” of our little adventure, as Paolo Gabrielli, team coordinator, told us, slightly moved, yesterday.

Continue reading… →

26 September – The ice cores !

The second day of work on the summit glacier of the Ortler mountain and 50 metres of ice cores have already been extracted (See the picture gallery).

The favourable weather conditions have allowed the researchers to speed up operations.

No particular problems have been detected so far and the health of the personnel present on the mountain is also good. They are being constantly monitored by the medical team of EURAC’s Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine. Their work also involves collecting medical and scientific information that could help to better understand altitude sickness and particularly pulmonary oedema.

Continue reading… →

24 September – From the camp

We publish today the first pictures of the camp on the glacier of the Ortler mountain. (See the picture gallery of the base camp)

The particularly favourable meteorological conditions (sun and no wind) have allowed the researchers to work well. Yesterday they were already able to fix the tent over the metal structure that contains the ice perforation system. It was fixed as high as possible and very close to the upper edge of the glacier where, according to the plan, the first ice core will be extracted.

Continue reading… →

23 September – Let’s go!

The research team has now reached the summit glacier of the Ortler mountain, located at 3,950 metres. Helicopters brought both researchers (ten people) and 60 tonnes of material to the site where the ice core extraction will take place. A camp with tents (both for sleeping and cooking) and the drilling spot with all supporting structures have been set up.

Continue reading… →

22nd of September – The Campus | 22 Settembre – Campus di glaciologia | 22. September – Das Glaziologiecamp

Twenty high school students from the Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen (ten Italian and ten German-speaking) together with their accompanying teachers have started the Glaciology camp at the Hotel Franzenshöhe, which is located on the way to the Stelvio pass (See the Glaciology camp Programme). In the coming five days they will meet experts, researchers, glaciologists and guides from the Stelvio National Park. The main goal will be to better understand the research aspects of the Ortler project and the surrounding environment.

Yesterday the researchers implemented various preparatory activities while waiting to be transported by helicopter to the glacier in the coming days. There, the researchers will set up a remote camp where they will stay for the following 30 days in order to work on the delicate task of extracting an ice core from the glacier. Even during this delicate phase, the entire research team has proven to be very helpful, explaining to the students every single aspect of their work and presenting some similar research that took them, during their careers, to several glaciers in various parts of the globe, from Antarctica to New Guinea. See the picture gallery of the first day of the camp.

Tomorrow (23 September), the research team and all the material should be taken to the glacier at 3,950 meters by helicopter.