The Kilimanjaro weather station operates using solar power. Several times a day, the information is sent from Kilimanjaro's peak to a computer on the UMass campus, via satellite transmitter. The data is managed by the Climate Lab's Frank Keimig, who automated a system for keeping track of the information. The work is part of a larger UMass geosciences focus on environmental change in the tropics, led by Mark Abbott, Vuille, and Bradley. Glaciers have been retreating dramatically, around the world and especially in the tropics.
Scientists hope to retrieve as many ice cores as possible from tropical glaciers in coming years.
Chemicals and gases embedded in the ice hold detailed clues regarding past climate variations. Also, glaciers are important in terms of supplying drinking water and hydropower to nations along the South American Andes, particularly Peru. At Kilimanjaro, there is concern that the melted snowpack would drive away tourism. The UMass team is hoping to launch collaborative research projects at Kilimanjaro National Park in the future, perhaps involving park personnel in climate and environmental monitoring. Once the ice disappears, it's going to be a very different place.