Extreme Ice Survey

Last updated
Extreme Ice Survey
Founded2007
Founder James Balog
PurposeProviding a visual baseline for demonstrating the effects of climate change
Area served
World-wide
MethodUsing cameras to record changes in glaciers to reveal how fast climate change is transforming large regions of the planet
Website extremeicesurvey.org

The Extreme Ice Survey (EIS), based in Boulder, Colorado, uses time-lapse photography, conventional photography and video to document the effects of global warming on glacial ice. It is the most wide-ranging glacier study ever conducted using ground-based, real-time photography. Starting in 2007 the EIS team installed as many as 43 time-lapse cameras at a time at 18 glaciers in Greenland, Iceland, Alaska, Canada, the Nepalese Himalaya (where cameras were installed at Mount Everest in 2010), and the Rocky Mountains of the U.S. The cameras shoot year-round, during daylight, at various rates. The team supplements the time-lapse record by occasionally repeating shots at fixed locations in Iceland, Bolivia, the Canadian province of British Columbia and the French and Swiss Alps. Collected images are being used for scientific evidence and as part of a global outreach campaign aimed at educating the public about the effects of climate change. EIS imagery has appeared in time-lapse videos displayed in the terminal at Denver International Airport; in media productions such as the 2009 NOVA Extreme Ice documentary on PBS; [1] and is the focus of the feature-length film Chasing Ice, directed by Jeff Orlowski, [2] which premiered at the Sundance film festival in Utah on January 23, 2012. [3] Major findings were published in 2012 in Ice: Portraits of the World’s Vanishing Glaciers by James Balog (Rizzoli Publishing).

Contents

History

Retreating calving front of the Jacobshavn Isbrae glacier in Greenland from 1851 - 2006. Jakobshavn retreat-1851-2006.jpg
Retreating calving front of the Jacobshavn Isbrae glacier in Greenland from 1851 - 2006.

Nature photojournalist James Balog founded the Extreme Ice Survey in 2007 after spending much of the previous two years photographing receding glaciers for National Geographic [4] and The New Yorker . Balog saw extraordinary amounts of ice vanishing with shocking speed. Features that took centuries to develop were being destroyed much faster than scientific modeling had predicted, sometimes in just a few years—or even just a few weeks. Balog founded the EIS to provide visual evidence of the dramatic effects of global warming. [5] The project ultimately evolved into an intensive team effort, bringing together journalists and scientists, artists and engineers.

Mission

The EIS aims to show epochal change happening within the time frame of human life, and to provide scientists with a photographic record to understand the mechanics and pace of glacial retreat and how it relates to climate change.

Fieldwork and equipment

The EIS team chose to put its time-lapse camerasNikon D200 DSLR cameras powered by a custom-made combination of solar panels, batteries and other electronics — at accessible and photogenic sites that represented regional conditions well, had high scientific value and were photographically and logistically manageable. Each camera system weighs 125-150 pounds or more and had to be secured with anchors and guy wires against winds up to 150 mph, as well as against temperatures as low as -40 °F, blizzards, landslides, torrential rain and avalanches. The cameras shot once every hour, half hour, 15 minutes or 5 minutes, [6] in daylight hours, for approximately 8,000 images per camera per year. The total survey archives now include more than 800,000 frames. By capturing images in diverse locations throughout the Northern Hemisphere over several years, the EIS can provide a more complete picture of the effect of global warming across different geographic regions than previous ground-based, time-lapse studies. As of January 2012, the team has 27 cameras at 18 glaciers.

Project team

Founder

The images of photojournalist James Balog have received international acclaim, including a Heinz Award, the Leica Medal of Excellence and the premier awards for both nature and science photography at World Press Photo in Amsterdam. Exhibitions of his images have been shown at more than 100 museums and galleries from Greece to Paris, New York to Los Angeles. He was the first photographer ever commissioned to create a series of stamps for the U.S. Postal Service; the 1996 release featured America's endangered wildlife. Balog's work has been published in numerous major magazines, including National Geographic, The New Yorker, Life, Vanity Fair, The New York Times Magazine, Audubon and Outside. Balog is the author of seven books: Wildlife Requiem [7] (1984), Survivors: A New Vision of Endangered Wildlife [8] (1990), Anima [9] (1993), James Balog’s Animals A to Z [10] (1996), Animal [11] (1999), Tree: A New Vision of the American Forest [12] (2004), and Extreme Ice Now: Vanishing Glaciers and Changing Climate, A Progress Report [13] (2009). Balog, a Sustainability Ambassador for The North Face, holds a bachelor's degree in speech/communications from Boston College and a master's degree in geomorphology from the University of Colorado.

Research team

Tad Pfeffer in 2017 W T Pfeffer.jpg
Tad Pfeffer in 2017

Scientific advisors

Sponsors

The Extreme Ice Survey is funded by prominent research and scientific organizations, as well as several corporate partners.

Patrons

Corporate partners

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glacier</span> Persistent body of ice that is moving under its own weight

A glacier is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as crevasses and seracs, as it slowly flows and deforms under stresses induced by its weight. As it moves, it abrades rock and debris from its substrate to create landforms such as cirques, moraines, or fjords. Although a glacier may flow into a body of water, it forms only on land and is distinct from the much thinner sea ice and lake ice that form on the surface of bodies of water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arctic</span> Polar region of the Earths northern hemisphere

The Arctic is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic region consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada, Danish Realm (Greenland), northern Finland, northern Iceland, northern Norway, Russia, northernmost Sweden and the United States (Alaska). Land within the Arctic region has seasonally varying snow and ice cover, with predominantly treeless permafrost under the tundra. Arctic seas contain seasonal sea ice in many places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cryosphere</span> Those portions of Earths surface where water is in solid form

The cryosphere is an all-encompassing term for the portions of Earth's surface where water is in solid form, including sea ice, lake ice, river ice, snow cover, glaciers, ice caps, ice sheets, and frozen ground. Thus, there is a wide overlap with the hydrosphere. The cryosphere is an integral part of the global climate system with important linkages and feedbacks generated through its influence on surface energy and moisture fluxes, clouds, precipitation, hydrology, atmospheric and oceanic circulation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center</span>

The Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center (BPCRC) is a polar, alpine, and climate research center at The Ohio State University founded in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice cap</span> Ice mass that covers less than 50,000 km² of land area

In glaciology, an ice cap is a mass of ice that covers less than 50,000 km2 (19,000 sq mi) of land area. Larger ice masses covering more than 50,000 km2 (19,000 sq mi) are termed ice sheets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rephotography</span> Photographing from the site of a previous photograph

Rephotography is the act of repeat photography of the same site, with a time lag between the two images; a diachronic, "then and now" view of a particular area. Some are casual, usually taken from the same view point but without regard to season, lens coverage or framing. Some are very precise and involve a careful study of the original image.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jakobshavn Glacier</span> Glacier in Greenland

Jakobshavn Glacier, also known as Ilulissat Glacier, is a large outlet glacier in West Greenland. It is located near the Greenlandic town of Ilulissat and ends at the sea in the Ilulissat Icefjord.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Retreat of glaciers since 1850</span> Shortening of glaciers by melting

The retreat of glaciers since 1850 is well documented and is one of the effects of climate change. The retreat of mountain glaciers, notably in western North America, Asia, the Alps and tropical and subtropical regions of South America, Africa and Indonesia, provide evidence for the rise in global temperatures since the late 19th century. The acceleration of the rate of retreat since 1995 of key outlet glaciers of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets may foreshadow a rise in sea level, which would affect coastal regions. Excluding peripheral glaciers of ice sheets, the total cumulated global glacial losses over the 26-year period from 1993 to 2018 were likely 5500 gigatons, or 210 gigatons per yr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grinnell Glacier</span> Glacier in Glacier National Park, Montana, United States

Grinnell Glacier is in the heart of Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. The glacier is named for George Bird Grinnell, an early American conservationist and explorer, who was also a strong advocate of ensuring the creation of Glacier National Park. The glacier is in the Lewis Range and rests on the north flank of Mount Gould at an altitude averaging 7,000 feet (2,100 m), in the Many Glacier region of the park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackfoot Glacier</span> Glacier in Montana, United States

Blackfoot Glacier is the second largest of the remaining 25 glaciers in Glacier National Park, Montana. Blackfoot Glacier is just to the north of Blackfoot Mountain and near Jackson Glacier. The glacier was most recently measured in 2015 at 370 acres (1.5 km2), yet when first documented in 1850, the glacier also included the now separate Jackson Glacier and together, they covered 1,875 acres (7.59 km2). In 1850, there were an estimated 150 glaciers in the park. Glaciologists have stated that by the year 2030, all the glaciers in the park may disappear. However, under a modest increase in overall carbon dioxide levels, some glaciers will remain until the late 23rd century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate of the Nordic countries</span> Countries near to North Pole (Arctic Region)

The climate of the Nordic countries is that of a region in Northern Europe that consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, which include the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland. Stockholm, Sweden has on average the warmest summer of the Nordic capitals, with an average maximum temperature of 23 /p>

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Balog</span> American photographer

James Balog is an American photographer whose work explores the relationship between humans and nature. He is the founder and director of Earth Vision Institute in Boulder, Colorado.

Mark Dyurgerov was an internationally known glaciologist and Fellow of the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) of the University of Colorado at Boulder. He was born in Moscow, Russia; both of his parents were engineers, and his mother was also a Russian poet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North American Arctic</span>

The North American Arctic is composed of the northern polar regions of Alaska (USA), Northern Canada and Greenland. Major bodies of water include the Arctic Ocean, Hudson Bay, the Gulf of Alaska and North Atlantic Ocean. The North American Arctic lies above the Arctic Circle. It is part of the Arctic, which is the northernmost region on Earth. The western limit is the Seward Peninsula and the Bering Strait. The southern limit is the Arctic Circle latitude of 66° 33’N, which is the approximate limit of the midnight sun and the polar night.

<i>Chasing Ice</i> 2012 documentary film directed by Jeff Orlowski

Chasing Ice is a 2012 documentary film about the efforts of nature photographer James Balog and his Extreme Ice Survey (EIS) to publicize the effects of climate change. The film was directed by Jeff Orlowski. It was released in the United States on November 16, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Orlowski</span>

Jeff Orlowski-Yang is an American filmmaker. He is best known for both directing and producing the Emmy Award-winning documentary Chasing Ice (2012) and Chasing Coral (2017) and for directing The Social Dilemma about the damaging societal impact of social media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Konrad Steffen</span> Swiss glaciologist (1952–2020)

Konrad "Koni" Steffen was a Swiss glaciologist, known for his research into the impact of global warming on the Arctic.

Diane Tuft is an American photographer focusing on nature and landscape photography, documenting the effects of the environment on the Earth's landscape. She is based in New York City.

Jacob Sebastian Haugaard Mernild is a Danish professor in climate change, glaciology and hydrology, who is the pro-vice-chancellor of the University of Southern Denmark. Mernild has been an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) author for the United Nations since 2010. Initially a contributing author on the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report, he was lead author on the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report.

Project Pressure is a charity with an ecological and climate focus. Their expressed mission is to create impactful projects that triangulating art, science and activism resulting in impactful actions on environmental issues. The global environmental charity was founded in 2008, with the mission of visualizing the climate crisis. Project Pressure uses art as a touchpoint to inspire action and behavioral change. At the time, Project Pressure focused on work surrounding glacier mass loss.

References

  1. “Extreme Ice” documentary
  2. Bailey, Rob (December 16, 2011). "The 'Ice' man cometh ... from Staten Island". silive.com. Staten Island Advance. Retrieved December 17, 2011.
  3. DeFore, John (January 25, 2012). "Chasing Ice: Sundance Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
  4. "The Big Thaw". National Geographic. Archived from the original on March 26, 2008.
  5. "James Balog: Time-lapse proof of extreme ice loss". TED: Ideas Worth Spreading. TED.
  6. Wildlife Requiem. International Center of Photography. ISBN   0-933642-06-7.
  7. Survivors: A New Vision of Endangered Wildlife . Harry N. Abrams. 1990. ISBN   0-8109-3908-8.
  8. Anima. Arts Alternative Press. ISBN   0-9636266-0-4.
  9. James Balog's Animals A to Z. Chronicle Books. June 1996. ISBN   978-0-8118-1339-6.
  10. Animal. Graphis. 18 November 1999. ISBN   978-1-888001-80-8.
  11. Tree: A New Vision of the American Forest. Barnes & Noble Books. October 2005. ISBN   978-1-4027-2818-1.
  12. Extreme Ice Now: Vanishing Glaciers and Changing Climate, A Progress Report. National Geographic Books. 2009. ISBN   978-1-4262-0401-2.
  13. "New Insight Into Everest Mystery". New York Times. November 27, 1999.