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Snowkiting Across Greenland
Snowkiting Across Greenland
In the name of Science
2:31
In July 2024, Dr. Heidi Sevestre, glaciologist, and Matthieu Tordeur, polar explorer, led a kite-ski expedition from the south to the north of Greenland. The goal was to collect scientific data in the most remote parts of the ice cap. This expedition combined science, adventure, education and awareness of the effect of climate change on the melting of the ice, a crucial issue for our future.
The Greenland south/north expedition's route follows the birth line of the island's western glaciers to collect ice samples as they begin their long, slow journeys to the ocean. By kite-ski, the explorers went full speed across the ice cap and had to avoid crevasses. Therefore, they needed support to navigate safely over the frozen, seemingly uniform ground.
Airbus has produced and delivered a mosaic of the whole of Greenland from Sentinel-2 data with processing adapted to meet the needs of navigation on the ice cap:
- images over the target period June to August over several years
- 10 m resolution
- processing and color rendering adapted to make the icy ground clearly readable.
This mosaic was then integrated into the entire Airbus Sentinel-2 basemap.
The Airbus Sentinel-2 basemap was cut into maps and then a grid with the cartographic and geographic coordinates was placed on the satellite images. Each map was printed on laminated paper. The route could be traced before departure directly on the document. The maps were taken in the expedition pack. Each evening, under the tent, the explorers analyzed the route taken and prepared the path for the next day.
Dr. Heïdi Sevestre is a glaciologist. Her specialization in glaciology focuses on glacier dynamics, tropical glaciers, and ice shelves in Antarctica.
Heïdi is a member of The Explorers Club and a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. She was awarded the Shackleton Medal for the Protection of Polar Regions in 2022 and received the Environment Book Prize by the Veolia foundation in 2024 for her book “Climate Sentinel”.
Matthieu Tordeur is a record-breaking professional adventurer.
In 2019, he became the youngest person in the world and the first French to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole. Matthieu Tordeur is a member of French climate awareness NGO L’ École des Pôles and of Fonds de dotation Paul-Émile Victor. He is also a member of the French Explorers' Society and a Guinness World Record Holder.
The Airbus Sentinel-2 basemap allowed us to prepare the kite-ski navigation on the Greenland ice cap before the expedition but also to adjust our route plan each day.
Matthieu Tordeur
President - 90°SUD
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