North Wales firm’s technology powers Everest glacier breakthrough

Daniel Bevan - Editor

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A chance encounter on a train has led to a long-running collaboration between Aberystwyth University and geophysical instrumentation firm Robertson Geo, culminating in a major expedition to Mount Everest and new insights into the impact of climate change on glaciers.

Professor Bryn Hubbard, from the Centre for Glaciology at Aberystwyth University, first came across the company’s technology unexpectedly while travelling.

“I was travelling back to Aberystwyth, picked up a magazine and it introduced me to Robertson Geo and its televiewer,” he said.

“I had no idea this technology even existed.”

That discovery went on to shape more than 20 years of research collaboration, most recently resulting in a high-altitude expedition to the Khumbu Glacier on Everest. There, Professor Hubbard led a team deploying Robertson Geo’s televiewer system at 6,660 metres above sea level.

The project formed part of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)-funded ‘Losing their Cool’ programme and involved collecting high-resolution borehole imagery alongside ice core samples and meteorological data.

Operating in extreme conditions, with oxygen levels less than half those at sea level and temperatures dropping below -25°C overnight, the team relied on the company’s equipment to perform without modification.

Dr Matthew Peacey, who joined the expedition, said reliability was essential in such an environment.

“When you’re working at that altitude, every piece of kit has to work first time. Robertson Geo’s technology did exactly that – reliably, in some of the most hostile conditions on Earth,” he said.

“It really changed everything,” Professor Hubbard added.

“The televiewer enabled us to see inside glaciers in unprecedented detail. Robertson Geo has played a huge part in that journey.”

The Everest expedition represents a milestone in a partnership that began in the early 2000s, when Robertson Geo’s High Resolution Optical Televiewer (Hi-OPTV)® was first introduced into glaciological research.

Since then, the company has supported fieldwork across multiple regions, including the Arctic, Antarctic, Andes and Himalayas, providing a range of specialist equipment such as winches, probes and downhole cameras. It also supported earlier Himalayan missions in 2017 and 2018.

Preliminary findings from the latest expedition are already challenging existing assumptions.

Researchers have identified unexpectedly warm temperatures within firm, compacted snow that forms an intermediate stage between snow and glacial ice, along with clear evidence of melt and refreezing processes.

Televiewer data has also revealed internal ice slabs and lenses, offering new insight into glacier structure and deformation.

The research comes amid growing concern over glacier loss in the Himalayas. Between 1977 and 2010, glaciers in the region lost around 24% of their area and 29% of their volume.

These ice masses provide freshwater to more than 10% of the global population, and scientists warn the region may be nearing “peak water”, when meltwater supply begins to decline.

Robertson Geo, which has operations in Conwy as well as the US and Hong Kong, exports around 95% of its products and serves customers in more than 160 countries.

Managing Director Simon Garantini said: “We’ve built a strong partnership with Professor Hubbard’s team over many years.

“Seeing our technology perform at the extremes – and contribute to critical climate science – is incredibly rewarding.”