CLIMATE change scientists from Aberystwyth have successfully completed the first ever drilling of the world’s highest glacier.

The team of scientists from Aberystwyth University and the University of Leeds undertook a six-week mission to the Khumbu glacier in the foothills of Mount Everest.

Working at an altitude of roughly 5,000 metres, the team used a specially adapted car wash unit to drill into the 17km-long glacier at three different points.

Sensors for recording the glacier’s internal temperature and how it flows were installed to collect data.

At the highest point near Everest base camp, the team spent three days drilling 150 metres down into the glacier before recording its internal structure using a 360° camera.

The expedition was a part of the EverDrill project led by the University of Leeds, with the drilling led Prof Bryn Hubbard from Aber­ystwyth University.

The car wash unit used by the team for drilling produces a jet of hot water at a pressure of up to 120 bar – enough to penetrate road tarmac.

Prof Hubbard said: “Working in the field is challenging at best, but on this occasion our equipment worked as well as can be expected at such high altitude, where the air is so thin.

“At the outset we were expecting to encounter a lot of debris in the form of rocks and stones in the glacier. These would have made drilling more challenging. As things turned out, drilling at the highest and lowest points was relatively trouble free, which in itself tells us quite a bit about the internal structure of the glacier.”

See this week’s south editions for the full story, in shops and online now