Project Pressure

Trimble is proud to continue our support of @projectpressure by providing advanced GNSS positioning technology and research funding for the nonprofit organization's latest expedition to map the disappearing tropical glaciers of Puncak Jaya in Papua, Indonesia. Project Pressure has released a centimeter-accurate, 3D model of the receding ice, created using Trimble positioning technology and drone-based photogrammetry. The model establishes a scientific baseline for calculating the rate of glacier recession and projecting the timeline of disappearance. Local communities also use the data to make informed choices about crop selection and prepare for expected water shortages caused by the loss of these vital reservoirs. This expedition marks the third successful outing in Project Pressure's Melting Topics series, which focuses on mapping equatorial glaciers. @trimble_official @klausthymann

This glacier is disappearing fast. We went to Papua, Indonesia to document the last tropical glacier in Oceana. It’s on the mountain Puncak Jaya, sometimes called Carstenz Pyramid. On the montain we collected UAV images and centimetre-precise coordinate to created a 3D photogrammetry model of what is left of the ice. The model is an ice legacy as well as a tool to measure the area of the glacier. We couldn’t have done it without support. Trimble gave us the geospatial tools, Pix4D helped us make the model, and Parajumpers kept us warm and dry.

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 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

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.

A POSTCARD JOURNEY Peter Funch spoke at @lebicoloredk about The Imperfect Atlas, documenting the glaciers of the Cascade Range in Washington State USA. Peter describes how he connected his choice of artistic process and technique with storytelling about glacier retreat. “It started with finding postcards from that area, more than 100 years old postcards - and wanting to go back to these locations and re-photographing from that same place. It was like a romantic journey of going with a postcard in the hand and going - it must be here it must be here…. It’s a little adventurous journey that way. And on top of that, I used a technique called RGB separation, it’s how color photography was started and invented. It comes from the era of the Industrial revolution, and that’s when we really started escalating the CO2 emission in the sky.” - @peterfunch See the work in Double Miror at @lebicoloredk through July 31 📍Le Bicolore, Maison du Danemark, Paris 2ème étage de de la Maison du Danemark 142 avenue des Champs-Elysées, 75008 Paris

EAST GREENLAND TRANSECT Klaus Thymann spoke at @lebicoloredk about his work, East Greenland Transect - an aerial photographic survey of the glaciers of East Greenland. “What I find interesting about having a show where you see these prints quite big is that it allows you to explore the details in the images. The glacier drop is more than 200 meters, you can see it in the discolouration in the rock. The volume of ice that we’re losing from the Greenland Icesheet is extremely drastic - And, this serves as a stark reminder of what we are doing at the moment - because this is happening in real time.” - @klausthymann See the work in Double Miror at @lebicoloredk though July 31 📍Le Bicolore, Maison du Danemark, Paris 2ème étage de de la Maison du Danemark 142 avenue des Champs-Elysées, 75008 Paris

THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS   Double Miroir is a window on our past, present and future - told through the story of glaciers.   Using archival imagery and innovative approaches to comparative photography, the work from @klausthymann and @peterfunch offers a multifaceted perspective on glacial retreat and the broader impact of climate change.   Stop by the show at @lebicoloredk this weekend and travel through time!    On view until July 31, 2025   📍Le Bicolore, Maison du Danemark, Paris 2ème étage de de la Maison du Danemark 142 avenue des Champs-Elysées, 75008 Paris

THE VIEW FROM HERE   To photograph Greenland’s expansive glaciers, Klaus Thymann took to the sky.   The ariel expedition retraced the vantage points of Danish explorer Knud Rasmussen’s 1933 photographic mission to map the eastern coastline.   The team used Rasmussen’s original images to calculate the photographic points in three-dimensional space.   At the chosen point, Klaus threw open the helicopter door and captured the images on film.   See the large-scale images alongside the prints of the 1930s expeditions at @lebicoloredk , Paris, through July 31.   Images: Klaus Thymann, Helheim #1, 2012, Helheim #1, 1933