Transcript:
In February, an international team of climbers and scientists climbed the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere: Arcocagava, Argentina.
After weeks of extreme rock climbing and camping along the rocky terrain on the hill, Tom Matthews of King’s College London and his team arrived at the summit.
They enjoyed the jaw-dropping views of the Andes.
Matthews: “The scenery is beautiful…and it's extremely barren. … Very, very dry, but also amazing.”
Then they started working, installing a weather observation station on the snowy peaks.
The station (these are five they installed on the hill) can measure temperature, precipitation and other variables.
These data will help researchers understand how warming climates affect snow and glacier melting rates on glaciers.
Both processes affect communities that go far beyond the remote tops. Mountain ice and snow action acts as reservoirs – providing much-needed water to downstream communities as it slowly melts in spring and summer.
Matthews: “With the climate changes, the way reservoirs behave changes, so everything downstream can be at risk. We do need to understand how. Details matter, and that's what it does.”
Report Credit: Sarah Kennedy/Chavobart Digital Media
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