Photography and Science on glaciers at the service of the environment, on the verge of global level climate changes
“On the Trails of the Glaciers” is a multidisciplinary project managed by the Macromicro non-profit Association, which, making use of specialized photographers and a specific Scientific Committee, combines photographic comparison and scientific research aiming at conducting a thorough investigation about the effects of climate change on the most important mountain glaciers on Earth.
Trough different expeditions, headed for the main glaciers, a large number of new photographic images has been shot – and several new ones will be acquired – portraying the exact viewpoint and perspective of pictures taken at the beginning of twentieth century by the most important photographers and explorers. Comparing the historical and the modern images, along with the on field surveying, is already allowing the researchers of the project’s Scientific Committee to gather the data necessary to examine the condition of the glaciers. These represent valuable gauges to evaluate current climate situation and, above of all, its evolution in the course of time.
The purposes of scientific inquiry and research on the effects of climate change, thanks to the choice of a highly intuitive and immediately available media such as photography, mingle with the goal of informing the public of values such as:
• the importance of sustainable development;
• the recovery and the enhancement of an historical and cultural heritage, such as historical photographic archives;
• the employment of original and ground-breaking methodologies.
The first expedition, carried out in 2009, headed to Karakoram, while the second one, took place in 2011 and explored the mountains of the georgian Caucasus.
Both expeditions completely reached their goals. All the participants and the sponsors took benefit from the expeditions, both in terms of quality of scientific data and of highly qualified visibility. The future expeditions, whose destination has been already chosen, will adopt the same operational methodology and will share the same purposes, focusing on different geographical areas whose scientific and photographic significance has been proven: Alaska, Andes and Alps ranges.
The scientific value of the project “On the Trails of the Glaciers”
The purpose of this project is to determine, on the basis of historic photographs, to what extent the most delicate and important system on earth – the cryosphere – has changed over the past century. Scientists and laymen by now agree that glaciers are the most reliable indicators we have to gauge climatic and environmental change on the planet. The fact is that glacial masses in mountain chains all over the world are literally collapsing, with consequences that are not yet totally imaginable. This project – by combining a study of historical evidence and documentary techniques with in loco and laboratory research, will enable us to gather important, and at times unique, information on recent glacial dynamics in a few exemplary areas such as the Karakorum, the Caucasus, the Alaska, the Andes and Alps. We will be able to determine the mass and energy balance of several glaciers — in other words, their state of health.
Prof. Claudio Smiraglia
State University of Milan
Department of Earth Sciences
Former President of the Italian Glaciologic Committee
The expeditions of the project “On the Trails of the Glaciers”
- Karakorum 2009
- Caucasus 2011
- Alaska
- Ands
- Alps
With the patronage by
