Scientists map Mount Ararat glacier above 5,000 m to plan first ice-core drill

A joint German-Turkish team conducted the first detailed survey of the glacier on Mount Ararat, Turkey’s tallest mountain, operating at elevations over 5,000 metres for two weeks despite severe weather. Employing ground-based radio echo sounding and active seismic surveys, they mapped ice thickness and underlying terrain to pinpoint the optimal location for drilling an ice core. Dr Coen Hofstede of the Alfred Wegener Institute led the fieldwork, while Prof Achim Lichtenberger and Prof Unsal Yalcin highlighted the potential of the ice to preserve climate data and traces of ancient human activity.

The glacier’s rapid melt, driven by global warming, threatens to erase these records, making timely sampling critical. The effort is coordinated by the Institute of Classical Archaeology and Christian Archaeology at the University of Munster, with support from Isparta University in Turkey. If successful, the project will produce the first ice core from Mount Ararat, offering a new archive for both environmental and archaeological research.