A tribute to Lonnie Thompson

The ice core science community has lost one of its great pioneers
Lonnie Thompson, tribute, Ice Memory
Lonnie Thompson dedicated his life to exploring the secrets held within the world's glaciers.

Through decades of extraordinary fieldwork, often in some of the most remote and challenging environments on Earth, he brought ice-core science to new heights.

Lonnie was the scientific pioneer who gave mountain glacier ice cores their scientific recognition and established their essential role in understanding our planet's climate history. 

His scientific vision deeply resonates with our mission: preserving ice cores as irreplaceable archives of Earth's climate history, before they disappear forever.

His legacy reminds us that ice is much more than frozen water. It is a unique record of our planet's past, a witness to climate change, and an extraordinary source of knowledge for future generations.

Let us continue to strengthen international scientific cooperation, across disciplines and borders, and pursue our collective responsibility to preserve these invaluable archives for generations to come, following the footsteps of Lonnie Thompson, the giant in the field of high-altitude ice core science.

Sincere condolences to his wife Ellen Mosley-Thompson, to his daughter Regina, and to all his colleagues and friends around the world.

Lonnie Thompson, tribute, Ice Memory
Lonnie Thompson, tribute, Ice Memory
Lonnie Thompson, tribute, Ice Memory
Lonnie Thompson, tribute, Ice Memory

To know more about his carrier: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.298.5593.518

Photos: Lonnie Thomson in Canary Film © @DevinWhetstone / @Oscilloscope Lab. 

Mis à jour le  10 novembre 2026