According to New Scientist, explorer Matthieu Tordeur and glaciologist Heïdi Sevestre are undertaking a 4000-kilometre kite-ski expedition across Antarctica, which began on 3 November. They are towing ground-penetrating radar that scans snow and ice up to 40 metres deep, aiming to gather data on whether increased snowfall inland offsets coastal melting. The duo has three months to travel from Novo Airbase to Hercules Inlet before the Antarctic summer ends. From the South Pole onward, they will deploy a more powerful radar capable of penetrating 2 kilometres to trace ancient ice layers. The goal is to help resolve a major debate about West Antarctica’s stability and its potential to raise sea levels by up to 5 metres.
Science Meets Extreme Adventure
This is a wild blend of old-school exploration and modern science. Tordeur isn’t a rookie; he became the youngest person to solo ski to the South Pole in 2019. But he decided if he went back, it had to be for more than just a personal challenge. So, they’re using kites. It’s a genius move, really. Why slog when you can let the wind pull you at 35 km/h? It lets them cover insane distances and reach parts of the interior where scientists just don’t go. Think about that. For a thousand kilometres in any direction, they are utterly alone. The data they’re collecting is the kind satellites can’t give you and planes might miss. It’s granular, ground-truth information. And in a place as critical as Antarctica, every data point is precious.
The Real Quest: Under The Ice
Here’s the thing about Antarctica: the scary stuff is hidden. The big question they’re helping to answer is whether West Antarctica is a ticking time bomb. It holds enough ice to raise global sea levels by up to 5 meters. Did it all melt during the last warm period between ice ages? If it did, that’s a terrifying precedent for our current warming. If it didn’t, maybe it’s more stable than we fear. The powerful radar they’re using from the South Pole, linked to researchers at the British Antarctic Survey, is trying to find ancient ice layers from East Antarctica that flowed into the west. Finding that would be a huge clue. But let’s be honest, towing that gear over 4000 km of the most hostile terrain on Earth? It’s a monumental task.
Brutal Reality vs. Romantic Ideal
Now, don’t picture this as some serene glide across a smooth white desert. They’ve already battled nearly 1000 km of “sastrugi” – those wind-carved, concrete-hard ripples that can shake equipment to pieces. Their tent hits -28°C, and that’s considered *mild*. Sevestre keeps her sanity by listening to audiobooks about historic Antarctic disasters, like The Worst Journey in the World, which describes temperatures of -65°C. Talk about perspective. It underscores how this work, while aided by tech, is fundamentally human. It’s gritty, physical, and incredibly risky. One major equipment failure or injury in that emptiness, and the whole mission – and their safety – is in jeopardy. They’re pushing the limits of what a small, human-powered science mission can achieve. You can follow their brutal journey on the Under Antarctica project site.
Why This Ground Truth Matters
So, is it worth it? Martin Siegert at the University of Exeter argues it absolutely is. Satellite data gives us the big picture, but to truly understand if the ice sheet is growing or shrinking, you need these on-the-ground (or rather, on-the-ice) measurements. This expedition could be one of the longest ground-penetrating radar surveys ever conducted. Basically, they’re creating a unique and vital dataset. In a world where we model everything, sometimes you just have to go there, through the blinding white and the biting cold, and measure it yourself. It’s a throwback and utterly essential at the same time. If you want to see who’s crazy enough to do this, check out Matthieu Tordeur and Heïdi Sevestre’s sites. Their work is a stark reminder that understanding our planet still requires venturing into its most extreme frontiers.
