CLIMATE change scientists from Aberystwyth University are heading to the Himalayas in a bid to become the first to successfully drill through the world’s highest glacier.

Polar Medal holder Prof Bryn Hubbard and colleagues from the Aberystwyth Centre for Glaciology will travel to the Khumbu glacier in the foothills of Mount Everest this month.

They will spend up to six weeks working on the 17km-long glacier which flows from an altitude of 7,600 metres to around 4,900 metres at its lowest.

Located in north-eastern Nepal, the Khumbu is often used by climbers on their way to Everest base-camp.

Working at over 5,000m, Prof Hubbard’s team will use a specially adapted car wash unit to drill up to 200 metres into the ice.

Once the drilling has been completed, the team will be able to study the internal structure of the glacier, measure its temperature, how quickly it flows and how water drains through it.

The data will be combined with satellite images to understand how the glacier moves and changes, and how it might respond to anticipated climate change.

Situated in a region notorious for its seismic activity and prone to large earthquakes, the Khumbu and surrounding area are the source of water for around 40 per cent of the world’s population.

However, dams and lakes that form on the glacier present significant risk of flash flooding for people living down-stream.

“This is the first time that anyone has attempted to drill the Khumbu glacier” said Prof Hubbard.

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