Ice Memory: preserving glacial archives for future generations

Glaciers are a unique natural archive with each successive layer capable of revealing the state of the climate and atmosphere over a period of years dating back centuries and even millennia. The records thus enable a reconstruction of changes in the past, such as variations in temperature or concentration of pollutants and greenhouse gases. The information is being destroyed, however, as glaciers around the world melt, recede and ultimately disappear under the influence of global warming. A one-of-a-kind international initiative born in Grenoble – Ice Memory – is working to preserve this invaluable heritage for future generations.