Christopher Shuman (615/UMBC) provides insight on the disappearing polar ice cap in the Peruvian Andes called Quelccaya, the NASA Earth Observatory Item of the Day (11/27/23): "Quelccaya Ice Cap Then and Now." Dr. Shuman comments on the decreasing ice area from 1988 to 2023. Additionally, he had studied Landsat images and discovered a glacial lake outburst flood within the ice cap's area in November 2022.
This EO item also refers to the study of the Quelccaya Ice Cap by Dr. Lonnie Thompson and colleagues from The Ohio State University, who conducted expeditions starting in 1974 to study the shrinking ice cap. Dr. Thompson's life and research experiences are the subject of a new documentary titled Canary:
"Witness the extraordinary life of Dr. Lonnie Thompson, an explorer who went where no scientist had gone before and transformed our idea of what is possible. Daring to seek Earth's history contained in glaciers atop the tallest mountains in the world, Lonnie found himself on the frontlines of climate change--his life's work evolving into a salvage mission to recover these priceless historical records before they disappear forever." More information, including the trailer, is available here. Dr. Shuman served as a technical consultant for Canary, and he also provided USGS Landsat imagery used within a scene.
