Most people don’t realize there are glaciers in the tropics — we think of palm trees, not ice. Explorer @klausthymann gives us a rare close-up look at the disappearing phenomenon at the link in Noema’s bio.
#climatechange #glaciers
🎥: @klausthymann
At 4,884 metres above sea level, Puncak Jaya ascends high above the tropical landscape of Papua, Indonesia. It’s so tall that monumental glaciers flank its sub-zero upper reaches. Now, climate change means this ecosystem is under threat. In support of Project Pressure, Parajumpers backed explorer and scientist Klaus Thymann and his team in the creation of a cutting-edge 3D model of the glaciers, helping future generations better understand how these natural wonders are receding.
The fifth seasion
In the northern part of Sweden there's a fifth season, it's called vårvinter, and means spring winter, it's when the days are long but they're still frost and the sun is out giving the landscape contrast - I was walking around just getting the very last of it, and I can see that the seasons are changing with climate change - I find it sad to experience.
But walking around in nature with a camera It gives me joy, it doesn't completely offset the sadness of a shortened winter season but instead of mourning a loss I want to enjoy the last of the ice.
Looking at the details and all the things I love, the ice the contrasts and amazing details takes me into another world one of imagination and where the small parts of nature when framed almost become abstracts of their own.
I’m lying on the sea floor, holding my breath for a moment, trying to be as still as possible.
A turtle glides towards me and comes closer, looking straight at me – well not really. I do think that the total looks of me but the reality is that's probably not the case - I think it is more likely it is looking at the reflection of itself in the mirror of my underwater housing.
It really doesn't matter it was a magical moment and they stayed with me, and i thought it was a good day to share this because today's wildlife day.
It’s a day to celebrate moments like that — the privilege of experiencing wildlife in its natural habitat. But it’s also a day for reflection. The numbers are crazy Humans and their livestock now dominate Earth's mammal biomass, accounting for 96% of the total, while wild mammals comprise only 4% - seriously we need to stop and think.
That statistic alone tells the story of how profoundly we’ve reshaped the natural world.
And yet, there is hope.
Sea turtles, once pushed to the brink of extinction, are showing real signs of recovery. Decades of conservation, protecting nesting beaches, regulating fisheries, reducing hunting, engaging local communities, are working.
Conservation matters. It works.
But it’s not happening at the speed or scale required – so come on….all of us.
Now we just have to do more, and do it faster.
Music by Kasper Bjørke
The Tropical Andes in South America boasts more than 90% of the world’s tropical glacier area. Large portions of the meltwater feed the Amazon River Basin, creating vital hydrological connections that sustain ecosystems from high alpine zones to the basin rainforests 🏔️🌿
These glaciers have lost an estimated 30-50% of their volume since the 1980s, though exact data is scarce. All life in this region depends on healthy, functioning ecosystems, and scientific data is urgently needed to fully understand and respond to the impact of climate change.
To address this data gap, NorCal Chapter Member @klausthymann FI’23, with TEC Flag 222, conducted a science expedition collecting glacier area data using UAV & GNSS technology.
From La Paz, Klaus and the @projectpressure team travelled by 4x4 for two days into the Andres mountains. Setting up a remote basecamp, they successfully completed a drone-based photogrammetry survey supported by ground control points and Trimble GNSS, paired with extensive film documentation. Processing is now underway to produce what is intended to become the first high-resolution, geo-referenced 3D model of the Chaupi Orco glacier as an open scientific baseline for future comparison and enabling past ice extent to be incorporated.
📸: @klausthymann
1: Trekking Chaupi Orco mountain, part of the Apolobamba range
2: Expedition leader Klaus Thymann and local mountaineer Jhenry Quispe Moya
3: Klaus taking field notes
4: Jhenry (left) holding Trimble equipment, Klaus (right) flying a drone
5: La Paz with the Illimani glacier in the background
GREENLAND🇬🇱
A few years ago I was working in Greenland. I photographed an American scientist standing on the ice. At the time, there was nothing remarkable about it. Science crossed borders. Knowledge moved freely. That felt like the natural order of things.
Now, looking back, it feels strange that something so simple and seemlingly ordinary as international scientific cooperation would need defending. Science unites. Knowledge moves humanity forward. And yet here we are, having to argue for the most basic principles all over again.
We are even having to defend something as basic as territorial integrity and international law. It is wild that we have to start defending the most basic of all, these conversations are a distraction from what is actually at stake.
Greenland is one of the clearest symbols of climate change we have. The world’s eyes are fixed there because what happens on that ice will shape coastlines, cities, and lives far beyond the Arctic. Severe sea-level rise are not theoretical, it is a very real threat.
And instead of dealing with that reality, we find ourselves dragged back into a crude, almost prehistoric mindset—having to stand up for sovereignty, for borders, for rules we assumed were settled.
We don’t really have a choice. We have to respond.
My hope is that the unity we are seeing around Greenland does not stop at geopolitics. That it carries over into the work that also matter:: how we treat this planet, and how seriously we take what science has been telling us for decades.
Because if we don’t, the ice in Greenland will melt away. And that is not something we can morally do to Greenland either.
If outrage can still bring us together, can a shared responsibility do the same?
Greenland 🇬🇱
I've been lucky enough to have worked and traveled to and around Greenland a few times.
Nature, the vastness, the distances and the weather force you to slow down. It's healthy and it is a humbling experience (at least for me, I learnt a lot).
It seems like Greenland had a lot to teach others - be humble and be respectful.
Its people are part of the country and I'm afraid to generalise but the national identity is amazing (if you can accept such a generalised observation).
The images are from East Greenland, I also traveled to the edge of the ice sheet. It's impossible to describe the scale.
A glacier doesn't just affect the land around it. It's also intimately connected to the lives of people hundreds of miles away. The meltwater from Apolobamba glaciers rushes through streams, rivers and lagoons, before flowing towards La Paz, delivering roughly 15% of the city's water for the year and nourishing its two million inhabitants. It's just one way in which an understanding of Chaupi Orco can unlock a deeper knowledge of the future of our communities.
To carry out their crucial work of monitoring and mapping the glaciers, including making the first ever 3D model of Chaupi Orco, the team of adventurers set up camp in a nearby valley. They were surrounded by some inquisitive new friends: llamas. Domesticated from wild guanacos around 4,000 to 5,000 years ago, they're perfectly adapted for the rugged environment. As @klausthymann put it: "I’m glad to have them around — they remind me that we’re in their world now. It feels like, for once, nature gets to decide."
High above the plains of Bolivia loom the Apolobamba mountains, a landscape of awe-inspiring natural beauty: icy glaciers, cloud forests and tropical vegetation. The jewel in the crown is Chaupi Orco, the highest peak in the range – though next to nothing is known of it. Supported by Parajumpers, the environmental scientist @klausthymann embarked on a mission to deepen understanding of these glaciers and provide vital information on their activities to conservators and local indigenous communities.
I’m super excited to hit the main stage at Trimble Dimensions in Las Vegas.
I’ll share how we mapped one of the world’s least-documented tropical glacier systems in the Rwenzori Mountains - using drones, ground control points, and Trimble tech to build a first-of-its-kind 3D model that turns white spots on the map into actionable climate data.
I’ll talk exploration vs. adventure (purpose matters), why tropical glaciers are critical water towers for millions, what can go wrong at 5,000 m (spoiler - a LOT), and how better data helps communities plan for a warming world.
If you’re at Dimensions, come say hi - let’s geek out about photogrammetry, risk, and real-world impact.
#TrimbleDimensions #Keynote #TropicalGlaciers #Rwenzori #Photogrammetry #3DMapping #ClimateData #ProjectPressure
Outokumpu, New York, 2024
The story behind the film
Steel is one of the world’s biggest polluters, responsible for 7–9% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Outokumpu is on a mission to change that.
Their new concept, The World as Our Showroom (created by BOND), was launched with a film we made in New York—a fitting place to begin, since Outokumpu stainless steel is part of many of the city’s most iconic landmarks.
We wanted to explore the evolution of New York and how the city itself reshapes thinking around urban planning and construction on a larger scale.
I had the privilege of writing and directing the work.
The initial concept and script came from Liisa Paasio at BOND, which I then interpreted and adapted to fit the city’s reality.
The film came together thanks to the support of a skilled local crew in New York, and the close collaboration of producer Ilona Malinen, co-director and cinematographer Klaus Thymann, editor Rickard Stolpe and our supportive, insightful, and brave client, Heidi Haila from Outokumpu.
I wish more companies would sharpen their reason for being and their role in shaping our shared future. Working with companies like this is truly motivating.
#outokumpu #finland #nyc #nyc🗽 #progress #steel #stainless_steel #theoculusnyc #wtc #hudsonyardsnyc
@ilpoke@klausthymann@aarihelsinki@heidihaila@liisa_paasio@bond_creative@rickestolpe
