Wilson Cheung, a PhD glaciological researcher and one of the Explorers Club’s “50 Explorers Changing the World” (2022), has worked in Antarctica and the Arctic region for over ten years monitoring the status of glaciers and icecaps. His main research area is Baffin and Bylot Islands (Penny Ice Cap and Bylot Ice Cap), Canada.
Historically, his team would use helicopters, fixed wing planes and snowmobiles to visit the glaciers. However, there is an environmental impact of using this mechanized approach while the extreme remoteness and unpredictable weather conditions caused by our changing climate was making his fieldwork to the ice cap more complicated.
In 2022 Wilson used an Ozone Hyperlink to reach Aktineq glacier, Bylot island with the intention of installing research instruments for measuring the ice loss. He was able to install a couple of sites, but needed kites capable of carrying more load to optimise his time in the area and was keen to carry out outreach work with Inuit youth, teaching them how to snow kite.
Ozone were pleased to help in the supply of kites for this exciting and important work and were delighted to hear that Wilson’s 2023 visit to Baffin and Bylot Islands were a great success, furthering research and building relations with the Inuit community whose innate knowledge of the glaciers contributes to our understanding of climate change and ice loss.
To learn more about the exciting and important research of Wilson Cheung, please follow him on Instagram @polarwilson