Summary
Mountain glacier systems play a vital role on our planet as the world’s water towers, feeding into the water supply of more than 1.9 billion people. Yet studies have shown that glaciers are rapidly disappearing due to increasing global temperatures, putting at risk the lives and livelihoods of mountain communities and those who live downstream.
As part of a concerted effort to improve understanding of the impacts of climate change on mountain systems – and how we might develop greater resilience to such impacts – the National Geographic Society, in partnership with Rolex’s Perpetual Plant Initiative, has been conducting frontier field research supported by local institutions.
The 2019 Rolex and National Geographic Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition amounted to the largest field science campaign in the mountain’s history. It included nearly 30 researchers and storytellers – geologists, glaciologists, biologists, meteorologists, cartographers, photographers, journalists, and videographers – from eight countries who, with the crucial help of local Sherpas, brought field science to a new level. Among their accomplishments was the installation of what was then the highest weather station network in the world.
Since the ground-breaking expedition, some of the team has returned to Everest to upgrade the network, taking their highest station to just below the summit. Expeditions to the Andes were also undertaken to improve weather monitoring of the highest glacierized regions there.
Dr Matthews, who has played a major role in these activities, will give an account of the expeditions and the team’s initial findings from the weather station data. He will also talk about the challenges that such an expedition entails: its preparation; the specialized equipment that needed to be designed, built and tested; the training for the rigours of not only climbing the world’s tallest mountains, but also the physical effort required to set up the planet’s highest weather stations.
He will then discuss with Prof Schmidt and Dr Czerski how science – at any altitude – can help us understand and act upon evolving societal challenges in the context of climate change.
Rolex and science
From its earliest days, Rolex has been at the forefront of science with its major watchmaking innovations, such as the Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch, and the Perpetual rotor self-winding mechanism.
Its watches have accompanied explorers and achievers around the world, from the top of the highest mountains to the deepest reaches of the ocean. Alongside watchmaking, Rolex is also actively involved in supporting the arts, sport and exploration, as well as those who are working to protect the environment. Rolex’s Perpetual Planet Initiative was established in 2019 and supports individuals and organizations using science to understand the world’s environmental challenges and devise solutions that will restore balance to our ecosystems.
Historically, Rolex has been linked to cutting-edge scientific institutions such as CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, and, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), one of the world’s top research institutes. Since the mid-1970s, Laureates of the Rolex Awards for Enterprise have helped advance our knowledge of the world, often in the realm of science.
Rolex’s support of the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, which dates back to 2015, is part of this legacy, as the exchange between Nobel Laureates and young scientists inspires new advances that benefit all mankind.
Rolex is proud to host this Partner Breakfast to further the mission of the Lindau Meetings: to demonstrate the sharing of knowledge between scientists of different generations, cultures and disciplines.
