About this video

• Video Title: Drilling Ice Cores on the Top of the World with Alison Criscitiello
• Channel: Exploring By The Seat Of Your Pants
• Speakers: Alison Criscitiello
• Duration: 00:41:50

Overview

This video features an interview with Alison Criscitiello, an ice core scientist and high-altitude mountaineer. She discusses the process and importance of drilling ice cores, particularly from high mountain regions like Mount Logan, Canada. The discussion covers the scientific value of ice cores for understanding past climate, the logistical challenges of high-altitude expeditions, and Criscitiello's dual career path in science and mountaineering. The video also touches on initiatives like "Girls on Ice Canada" aimed at encouraging young women in STEM.

Key takeaways

• Purpose of Ice Cores: Ice cores are crucial for reconstructing past climate by preserving atmospheric chemistry and environmental factors over time. They provide data on temperature, wildfire frequency, human impact, and ocean conditions.
• High Mountain Expeditions: Drilling ice cores in high mountain regions, like Mount Logan, offers unique climate data for non-polar areas and highlights the impact of climate change even in seemingly pristine environments. These expeditions are logistically challenging due to altitude, extreme weather, and equipment transport.
• Mount Logan Project: The expedition to Mount Logan aimed to extract a 250-300 meter ice core to study long-term climate variability in the North Pacific. This project required significant planning, including a reconnaissance year and the use of specialized high-altitude helicopters for transporting heavy equipment and the ice cores.
• Dual Career Path: Alison Criscitiello combines her expertise as an ice core scientist with her background as a high-altitude mountaineer and former climbing ranger/guide. This unique combination allows her to lead expeditions in extreme environments.
• Inspiration and Outreach: Criscitiello emphasizes the importance of pursuing passions, combining diverse interests, and encouraging others, especially young women, through programs like "Girls on Ice Canada," which fosters scientific and mountaineering skills.

Alison Criscitiello, an ice core scientist and mountaineer, explains the importance of drilling ice cores from high mountains like Mt. Logan for understanding past climate. She details the extreme challenges of these expeditions, including logistics, altitude, and weather, and shares her journey of combining science with a passion for climbing. She also highlights "Girls on Ice Canada," a program encouraging young women in STEM.

Ice cores offer a powerful way to understand past climate. Scientists can reconstruct past temperatures from the liquid chemistry of melted ice. They can also identify past wildfire frequency and intensity by analyzing trapped substances. Additionally, ice cores can reveal changes in vegetation and measure the human impact on the planet by analyzing pollutants from the Industrial Revolution onwards. Furthermore, they can provide information about ocean productivity, sea ice conditions, and the past ocean surface by examining specific chemical components. Finally, trapped air bubbles within the ice act as ancient atmospheric samples, allowing scientists to study historical levels of greenhouse gases like CO2.