Preserve the ice memory for future generations

The expedition in a few key figures

• 2 deep ice cores

• 104,7 and 105  meters

• 1 core for contemporary analysis

• 1core for Antarctic preservation

• about 700 years of climate history
  
  

Team

The expedition was conducted as part of the PAMIR Project, led by Evan Miles (Universities of Fribourg and Zurich) in close partnership with the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, and it brought together an international team of scientists from various institutes:

• Tomas Saks, University of Fribourg

• Stanislav Kutuzov, Ohio State University

• Yoshinori Iizuka, Hokkaido University

• Jahongir Abdullov, Tajik Academy of Sciences

• Zebokhonym Khushnazarova, Tajik Agency of Hydrometeorology

• Jovidon Ochildievich, Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan

• Koji Fujita, Nagoya University

• Sumito Hokudai, Hokkaido University

• Ivan Lavrentiev, Russian Academy of Sciences

• Ken Kondo, Nagoya University

• Enrico Mattea, University of Fribourg

• Andreas Henz, University of Zurich

• Hikaru Kondo, Hokkaido University

• Sora Yaginuma, Hokkaido University

The expedition was also supported by local logistics experts and porters from Tajikistan.

Glacier

The Kon Chukurbashi Glacier, situated at an elevation of 5814 m in the Eastern Pamirs (Tajikistan), is a rarely studied glacier in a geostrategically and climatically crucial region.

It is part of the Eastern area of the Third Pole, this  high-altitude region containing the largest volume of ice outside the Arctic and Antarctic.

The glacier was chosen for its climatic and scientific relevance, but also its high vulnerability due to increasing warming and regional water stress.

A distinctive feature of this glacier, the Pamir-Karakoram anomaly, was also a factor in choosing this glacier. This anomaly has led to an increase in the ice mass of glaciers in the region, despite climate change.

However, this anomaly seems to be coming to an end...

Results

Despite extreme logistical challenges—including high altitude, limited oxygen, unpredictable weather, and remote access—the team successfully drilled two complete cores to bedrock:

• Core 1: for laboratory analysis

• Core 2: for long-term conservation in Antarctica

The handover ceremony took place on October 13, 2025 in Dushanbe, where the Government of Tajikistan officially donated the cores to the international scientific community. The event marked a diplomatic and scientific milestone, showcasing Tajikistan’s commitment to climate memory and global research.

Scientific Analysis

The first core is currently being analyzed at the Ice Core Lab of the Institute for Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University (Japan).
Initial investigations include:

• Bulk density

• Stable water isotopes

• Tritium

• X-ray transmission imaging

• Near-infrared reflectance

• Grain size and stratigraphy

• Impurities, dust and debris content

• Future steps include ion concentration and radiocarbon dating (C14) of deeper layers.

The first 40 meters are expected to be fully analyzed within a year, including basal dating.

An official donation from Tajikistan 

Back from the field in Dushanbe and during a highly symbolic ceremony on the 13rd October, in favor of the ice memory of the Pamir Mountains,

• one ice core has been given by Tajikistan to the PAMIR Consortium for collaborative analysis;
• the second ice core has officially been given to the Ice Memory Foundation to safeguard it in a dedicated sanctuary in Antarctica.

This first official donation to the international scientific community within the Framework of the UN Decade of action for the cryospheric sciences.

Partners and Support

This drilling operation was  funded by the Swiss Polar Institute (SPI) with the support of the Ice Memory Foundation.

 

Photos & footage: © Jason Klimatsas & Bertrand Delapierre / Ice Memory Foundation - TSVP Prod – NANOF Prod.

Additional footage & editing © Elodie Bernollin / Ice Memory Foundation