August 2016 – Col du Dôme

Mont Blanc Massif – France – 4,300 m
Col du Dôme, Ice Memory, expedition
In August 2016, Ice Memory launched its first drilling campaign at the Col du Dôme, at the foot of Mont Blanc. Ten years later, the three 128-metre ice cores recovered during this pioneering expedition mark the starting point of a decade of efforts to preserve the memory of the world’s glaciers.

Ten years ago, we didn’t know if it would be possible.
This is where the Ice Memory journey began!

Objectives and key results

Number of ice cores drilled: 3
Drilling depth: 128 m (each core)
Climate record retrieved: More than 200 years

In August 2016, the first Ice Memory drilling campaign was conducted at Col du Dôme, marking the beginning of the international initiative.
Three deep ice cores, each measuring 128 meters, were successfully extracted.
  • 1 reference core dedicated to scientific analysis
  • 2 heritage cores designated for long-term preservation

Why this site?

Col du Dôme, located at 4,300 meters altitude at the foot of Mont Blanc, is one of the most emblematic high-altitude glacier sites in the European Alps.
The site was selected because:
  • It preserves high-resolution atmospheric records of the past two centuries
  • It provides key information on industrial-era pollution and environmental change
  • It represents an ideal pilot site for launching the Ice Memory concept
Its accessibility relative to other high-altitude glaciers made it suitable for initiating the first heritage preservation campaign.

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The expedition

Period: August 2016
Altitude: 4,300 m

This first Ice Memory mission gathered an international team of 10 glaciologists and engineers from France, Italy, Russia and the United States.
The drilling campaign included not only ice extraction but also associated glaciological measurements, including topography and temperature profiling.

The team

The expedition was coordinated by:
  • Patrick Ginot, Institut des Géosciences de l’Environnement (IGE), France
  • Jérôme Chappellaz, CNRS Research Director (at the time, IGE)
The team brought together French, Italian, Russian and American specialists in glaciology and engineering.

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Scientific analysis and heritage

All ice cores were transported to Grenoble for temporary storage.
  • The reference core was analyzed in 2019.
  • Two heritage cores were shipped to Antarctica for long-term preservation within the Ice Memory framework. ⇒ lien vers la page Sanctuaire
This 2016 campaign laid the scientific and operational foundations of the Ice Memory initiative — demonstrating the feasibility of safeguarding endangered climate archives for future generations.
 
Updated on  October 12, 2026