Aberystwyth University professor’s discovery of Conwy firm’s technology sparks 20-year partnership tackling climate change at the world’s highest altitude
A CHANCE encounter on a train – and an unexpected introduction from a magazine – has sparked a scientific partnership that has now spanned more than two decades and reached the heights of Mount Everest.
For Professor Bryn Hubbard, of the Centre for Glaciology at Aberystwyth University, the relationship with Robertson Geo began almost by accident.
“I was travelling back to Aberystwyth, picked up a magazine and it introduced me to Robertson Geo and its televiewer,” he said.
“I had no idea this technology even existed.”
That discovery would prove transformative, culminating in one of the most ambitious glaciological expeditions ever undertaken. Professor Hubbard led a team to the Khumbu Glacier on Mount Everest, deploying Robertson Geo’s technology at 6,660 metres above sea level.
The expedition, part of the NERC-funded Losing their Cool programme, used a lightweight Robertson Geo televiewer system via a portable Mini Winch to collect high-resolution borehole images, alongside core samples and meteorological measurements.
Working in oxygen levels less than half of those available at sea level, with temperatures dropping below -25°C at night, the team relied on the firm’s instrumentation – which required no modification to operate in extreme cold – to deliver results where conventional equipment would have failed.
Dr Matthew Peacey, who took part in the expedition, said the performance of the equipment was critical.
“When you’re working at that altitude, every piece of kit has to work first time. Robertson Geo’s technology did exactly that – reliably, in some of the most hostile conditions on Earth,” he said.
“It really changed everything,” Professor Hubbard added.
“The televiewer enabled us to see inside glaciers in unprecedented detail. Robertson Geo has played a huge part in that journey.”
The Everest project marks the pinnacle of a collaboration stretching back to the early 2000s, when Robertson Geo’s High Resolution Optical Televiewer (Hi-OPTV) was first introduced to glaciology.
Over more than 20 years, the company has supported fieldwork across the Arctic, Antarctic, Andes and Himalayas, supplying the Hi-OPTV® alongside winches, probes and downhole cameras, including on previous Himalayan missions in 2017 and 2018.
The latest results are already reshaping scientific understanding. Preliminary findings show unexpectedly warm ‘firn’ temperatures alongside clear evidence of melt and refreezing processes, while televiewer data revealed internal ice slabs and lenses, offering crucial insight into glacier structure and deformation.
The stakes are high. Between 1977 and 2010, Himalayan glaciers lost around 24% of their area and 29% of their volume. These glaciers supply freshwater to more than 10% of the world’s population, and scientists now warn the region may be approaching “peak water” – the point at which meltwater begins to decline.
Robertson Geo – based in Conwy, the US and Hong Kong – exports 95% of its products and operates in more than 160 countries.
Managing Director Simon Garantini said the company was proud to support research with such far-reaching implications.
“We’ve built a strong partnership with Professor Hubbard’s team over many years. Seeing our technology perform at the extremes – and contribute to critical climate science – is incredibly rewarding,” he said.
With further Himalayan expeditions planned for 2026 and Professor Hubbard heading to Greenland this summer – again with Robertson Geo – the partnership looks set to remain at the forefront of understanding the accelerating impacts of climate change.
For more news and information from Robertson Geo, visit: Geotechnical – Robertson Geo | Wireline Borehole Logging.
