A Climate Scientist Battles Time and Mortality (NYT)

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — One day in 1991, high in the thin, crystalline air of the Peruvian Andes, Lonnie G. Thompson saw that the world’s largest tropical ice cap was starting to melt. It was the moment he realized that his life’s work had suddenly become a race.

The discovery meant other ice caps were likely to melt, too, and the tales of past climate that they contained could disappear before scientists had a chance to learn from them.

Driven by a new sense of urgency over the ensuing 20 years, he pulled off a string of achievements with few parallels in modern science. He led teams to some of the highest, most remote reaches of the earth to retrieve samples of the endangered ice.

Then last October, the race against the clock became much more personal. Dr. Thompson woke up in a Columbus hospital room, a strange dream rattling in his brain. He looked down. “Wires were coming out of my chest,” he said. Machinery had been implanted to keep him alive. Longer term, doctors told him, only a heart transplant would restore him to full health.

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1. A pioneer in the technique of drilling ice cores

I know it's gauche to kick one's own thread, but this article is worth the read. It is an in-depth piece on a pioneer in the technique of drilling ice cores to retrieve records of climate variation. I highly recommend it.

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2. If you haven't read "Thin Ice", you should (by you I mean anyone who reads this thread)

It's all about Thompson's work around the globe since the 1980s, as written by one of his assistant professors, IIRC.

Great science, cool adventure travel narrative to boot.

[al bupp]

3. Thanks for the book suggestion

After reading this article, that book definitely goes on the reading list.