Australian glaciologist and engineer Adrian McCallum is embarking on a month-long polar trek on foot to measure Greenland’s ice sheet alongside four other members with whom he has only met online.
The professor from the University of Sunshine Coast (UniSC) has been training for the 580-kilometre (360-mile) trek by dragging four-wheel drive tyres up and down steep hills.
The rest of the expedition members are from much colder climates such as Denmark, Germany, Sweden, and Greenland.
“I’ll be fit enough. But it does mean I’m going to be really feeling the cold when I’m over there.”
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Goal of the Expedition
Mr. McCallum will be dragging a ground-penetrating radar across the ice to image the layers of rock beneath and determine the thickness of the ice.
“This information is crucial to accurately assessing the mass of the Greenland ice sheet, which in turn is essential to monitoring changes and the impact on sea levels,” Mr. McCallum told AAP.
“As people have heard about the expedition, they’ve reached out to me and asked can you do this science, and can you do that science.”
“It’s an almost once-in-a-lifetime chance to get this data, so I said ‘let’s take it.’”
Mr. McCallum will also be towing a receiver.
“The receiver essentially gives high-accuracy, high-precision elevation data for the ice cap, and that’s useful because satellites are used these days to estimate ice cap elevation,” he said.
He said the word estimate is used deliberately.
Challenge of the Expedition
Mr. McCallum will be hauling a sledge that weighs around 100 kilograms (220 pounds) and gets heavier daily.The expedition members will have a diet of dehydrated meals, electrolytes, and approximately two kilograms of butter chunks each to be consumed throughout the voyage. Butter is included in the diet because it is a calorie-dense food that will sustain them across their trek.
“The most important job is keeping everyone alive,” Mr. McCallum said.
“We’ve got a great team but ironically, despite being the only Australian in the group, I’m also the one with the most polar experience so I’ll be lending my expertise there.
He added that he’s also responsible for conducting the science, mainly focusing on measuring changes in Greenland’s surface snow density.
“This information is crucial to accurately assessing the mass of the Greenland ice sheet, which in turn is essential to monitoring changes and the impact on sea levels,” he said.
There is also the danger of a polar bear encounter.
“We are carrying a weapon to ideally scare a polar bear away, but worst case you aim to kill it,” he said.
The Greenland Project leader, Jan Rasmussen, said in the media release that the expedition will be conducted on foot to re-establish the viability and importance of low-impact exploration and scientific endeavour.
“Traditionally, scientific expeditions are huge inaccessible and emissions-heavy undertakings, while adventures are associated with environmental costs and ego,” Mr. Rasmussen said.
“I believe that we, through human-powered travel and meaningful engagement, can combine the two in earth-friendly ways that make critical science digestible for everyone.”
Self Contemplation and Team Work
Mr. McCallum said the expedition members only know each other from around three years of Zoom meetings.“We’re going to be plonked in one of the harshest environments on earth, to survive together for a month or so,” he said.
“It’s going to be fascinating to see how we'll make that work.”
Mr. McCallum is looking forward to sharing his experience with his engineering students and is trying to introduce expedition-based courses at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
He believes expedition-based classes expose students to opportunities for self-contemplation to realise their full capabilities.
