The Ice Memory successfully extracted from the endangered Colle del Lys glacier in the Alps: 2 ice cores drilled for research and preserved for Heritage.
Objectives and key results
Number of ice cores drilled: 2
Drilling depth: 105.89 m and 106.40 m
Climate record retrieved: Approximately 150–200 years
- 1 core dedicated to laboratory analysis
- 1 core dedicated to long-term preservation in Antarctica
In October 2023, Ice Memory successfully extracted
two deep ice cores from the endangered Colle del Lys glacier in the Alps — securing a high-resolution archive of recent European climate history.
Why this site?
The
Colle del Lys glacier is located on the Monte Rosa massif at approximately
4,155 m altitude, on the border between
Italy and Switzerland.
The site has been studied for nearly three decades:
- 1996: 1 core (80 m)
- 2000: 2 cores (11 m and 24 m)
- 2003: 1 core (106 m)
- 2012: 1 core (32 m)
Until 2023,
no drilling campaign had reached bedrock (estimated at –120 m).
The 2023 mission was prepared following detailed radar surveys conducted in collaboration with Stefano Urbini (INGV), allowing precise identification of the glacier thickness and optimal drilling location.
The glacier preserves
a unique, high-precision record of Alpine climate evolution over the past 150–200 years — a crucial period marked by industrialization and accelerated warming.
The expedition
Period: October 2023
Altitude: 4,155 m
Duration: 10 days
Conditions: Temperatures down to –10°C
The team operated from a remote high-altitude camp established for the mission.
The main challenge occurred within the first
10–15 meters of drilling. This upper layer — known as firn, the transition between snow and ice — contained significant
liquid water infiltration.
As Jacopo Gabrieli (CNR-ISP), expedition coordinator, explained:
“In these first 10–15 meters we found quite a lot of liquid water, which infiltrated the first layers and made it more difficult to operate the core barrel. This shows that even at these altitudes, climate change is acting heavily on the melting of our glaciers.”
Once past this layer, drilling progressed efficiently, and
the team successfully reached bedrock twice.
The Colle del Lys glacier can be described as an extraordinary book, containing
detailed records of European climate dynamics over the past two centuries.
The team
The expedition was coordinated by the Institute of Polar Sciences of the National Research Council (
CNR-ISP).
Scientific team:
- Jacopo Gabrieli (Expedition Leader), CNR-ISP
- Fabrizio De Blasi, CNR-ISP
- Giulio Cozzi, CNR-ISP
- Andrea Spolaor, CNR-ISP
- Chiara Venier, CNR-ISP
- Federico Scoto, CNR Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate
- Daniele Zannoni, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
- Stefano Urbini, National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV)
- Victor Zagorodnov, Cryosphere Research Solutions
Operational support:
- Paolo Conz, Mountain guide
- Riccardo Selvatico, Photographer & videomaker
- Fondazione Montagna Sicura
- Guardia di Finanza mountain rescue stations (SAGF) in Cervinia and Alagna
Scientific analysis and destination of the cores
One core will be analyzed
in the laboratories of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.
The second core will be transferred
to the Ice Memory Sanctuary in Antarctica, at the French–Italian Concordia Station, for long-term preservation.
Expedition partners and support
The Monte Rosa drilling expedition was co-funded by:
- Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR)
- Ice Memory Foundation
Coordinated by CNR-ISP in collaboration with:
Technical sponsors:
Photos: © Riccardo Selvatico – Ice Memory Foundation / CNR
