by The polar explorer Alan Chambers searched for an invisible threat for one of the coldest and most remote places on earth.
He traveled with the former Royal Marine Marine Thomas, the former Royal Marine Thomas, and had spent two long months of skiing around 1,151 kilometers (completely without support – from Hercules on the Coast of the Antarctic to the Geographical South Pole. The couple dragged a sledge that was heavily loaded with stocks and equipment, as well as an additional for snow samples, while it was borne Temperatures and disorienting white -outs fought.
“I built a specialist with a perfectly designed use inside,” said Chambers. “Every evening I climbed my hands and knees, lay on my stomach against the wind out of the warehouse and scratched the snow at minus 35 to fill the cans, which we then recorded and photographed.”
This efforts that were wrapped in January 2024 was Chamber’s first expedition in a partnership with leading climate researchers at Columbia University to divide the spread of microplastics and nanoplasty around the world. Ultimately, he plans to visit seven of the most remote places in the world to collect mud, sand, snow, water, permafrost and river bed, then analyze the experts to determine how widespread plastic waste is.
Microplastics, tiny plastic bits that cancel larger products are smaller than an eraser that measures less than 5 millimeters. As soon as they worsen, they are characterized as nanoplasty that measure less than 1 micrometer or a millimeter thousand. Your microscopic size makes it difficult to observe and quantify you. However, research shows that they were recorded by hundreds of species – including people. A recently carried out study showed that the amount of plastic that has now been found in the human brain is 50% higher than a decade ago.
Researching the effects of such pollution on human health has not yet been concluded, but it is known that nanoplasty interrupt cellular processes and endocrine chemical chemicals that can affect the reproduction system, while the effects on certain forms of cancer are also researched.
The tiny plastics have already been recognized in many different environments. The goal of the cooperation between Chambers at Columbia University is to find out how largely regions are affected by people. Their hope is that the analysis of these samples, a process that already provides fascinating results, delivers the evidence that are necessary to influence environmental policy and to promote systemic change in the future.
“Each mission should exceed borders – both physically and scientifically – and at the same time contribute important data to the global fight against plastic pollution,” said Chambers, who also works as a motivational speaker, to CNN of video calls.
Birth of a mission
Chambers was trained by scientists at Columbia University in the collection and storage of the snow samples. – with the kind permission of Alan W Chambers
Chambers received an MBE in 2000, a British honor that recognized community service or remarkable achievements for “determination and leadership in constant adversity”. In 1995, his numerous achievements include part of the first team in the world that was able to ski on Iceland in winter in winter, while five years later he was the first British team to go from Canada to the geographical North Pole without support.
The idea for Mission Spiritus came to Chambers after taking a trip for a “Ultra High Net Worth” and his family in the Antarctic.
“He asked what I was doing in my life that would have an impact in 300 years. So I asked him:” What are you doing? “And he said:” I want to make energy out of the atmosphere for the planet. “That blew me away.”
Chambers undoubtedly made a difference in his time after he had contributed to collecting more than £ 14 million ($ 18.8 million) for charitable purposes – lectures for researching cancer research – and at the same time examined and led extreme expeditions in over 70 countries. But this proposal was different.
“This was about giving a lot of effort in their life, but not seeing the results – it had a profound effects on me,” he said. “I said to the guy:” I walked through Iceland, all the way from the coast to the North Pole. So it makes sense to go from the coast of Antarctic to the South Pole, but if I take your philosophy, I would like to carry out scientific research. “
In this sense, he turned scientists from the Climate School of Columbia University, who had the chance to carry out such valuable research without carrying out the extreme field work himself.
“I was enthusiastic when Alan focused on research/scientific cooperation on his epic walk through Antarctic,” said Maureen Raymo, G. Unger Vetesen Professor of Earth and Climate Protections in Columbia in Columbia in Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, in an email in an email. Chambers and Raymo have been friends at an expedition for the North Pole in 2017 since the first meeting.
“How often does a friend come along and say ‘I go to the South Pole – is there something of scientific use that I can do on the way?” She added.
Chambers with Dave Thomas, both former royal marines, at the Geographical South Pole. The couple was completely unassisted in their epic hike from the coast of Antarctic. – with the kind permission of Alan W Chambers
According to Raymo, researchers are “extremely difficult” for researchers to take on work of this way of working on the Antarctic. “For a regular team of still highly specialized and trained scientists who have collected these rehearsals, it would have taken logistical planning and support from federal science agencies and probably one million dollars for years,” she said.
Chambers admits that he had “only limited knowledge of microplastics” until the meeting with Raymo. In order to understand her real effects, he later traveled to New York City to meet her and her team in Columbia, he said.
There the research team taught him how to collect samples and the right protocols that surround the way they should be saved and logged.
The ambitious project is called Mission Spiritus. “Spiritus is the Latin word for breath,” said Chambers. “The idea is to do something now that will ultimately help the planet to breathe by itself, not on the life preservation system that we all know that it is at the moment.”
“The brainy bit”
Chambers dragged the snow rehearsals in a specially designed sled over the icy continent and pulled a second, which was filled with its expedition equipment. – Alan W Chambers
For Chambers, Mission Spiritus is “adventure with purpose”.
“When we collect samples from the most remote areas of all continent, the experts provide the evidence and leverage they need to reduce the effects of plastic.
“We are just the gardeners of the earth – it is then up to the scientists to do the brainar,” he said.
After completing their Antarctic mission in 2024, Chambers and Thomas traveled to Süd-Chile, where she Beizhan Yan met, an environmental goddess from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at the Columbia’s Climate School.
“(All samples were still frozen) and he transported them back to the USA in the same way as they could transport a living organ,” said Chambers.
The analysis takes place, but the first results are shocking, said Chambers.
“The researchers found some plastic traces in (samples from) the middle of the Antarctic. The only way to get there was in the wind system,” he added. “Do it cut in the Antarctic plastic?”
Raymo said the results from the first set of copies would be complete by the end of summer. “We are currently measuring the first Continental scale transition of plastic contamination and black carbon pollution in Antarctic using the snow samples collected by Alan,” she said.
“Initial measurements indicate a certain presence of microplastics and a stronger signal in black carbon, which results from fuel burning,” said Raymo.
The importance of this mission is clear, said Chambers. “It’s not about demonizing plastic because plastic is used in every part of our lives,” he noted. “It’s about how we recycle plastic so that it does not get into the atmosphere or the wind system.”
New horizons
During the second stage of the mission, Chambers collected sand rehearsals in the empty district of Oman, the largest sandy desert in the world. – with the kind permission of Alan W Chambers
After this first expedition, the Columbia researchers created a wish list of future goals for the sample project.
“When we thought about how we can continue this cooperation, the idea of quickly trying some of the most famous wilderness, communities and ecosystems in the world, quickly to our Nordstern became our north star,” said Raymo.
At the beginning of this year, Chambers set off with a new team on the second leg of the mission. This time it was to collect 52 sand samples through the empty district of Oman during a 26-day expedition, the world’s largest sandy desert, which comprises a Schwad of the Arabian Peninsula.
“We have done the rehearsals and recorded the conditions, the temperature and the wind direction,” he said. “We photographed every example before we packed them in a safe case.”
The covered distance was the same as in the Antarctic – half on foot and the rest over sand vehicles and camels. The rehearsals were again handed over to Yan, who met them in the huge desert region of Wahiba Sands.
Chambers and his team in July will tackle all 18 of the main Farea islands, an archipelago in the North Atlantic -Ozean, where they collect water and sediment.
“These (Faroe Islands) rehearsals are also compared with measurements that we will carry out with sediment samples over a decade ago, so that we can also look at trends in plastic pollution in this remote region,” said Raymo.
If Chambers is successful to collect around 1 million US dollars more funds, it is planned to go to the Atacama desert in Chile in 2026 after rehearsals of the driest non -polar desert in the world. After that, the comoros islands will be; Canada’s northwest passage; And finally the Gibson desert in Western Australia.
“The most important thing is to raise awareness of the prevalence of harmful plastics in our environment, air and water,” said Raymo. “Alan has a large audience through his public speech, philanthropy and adventure. Together we can help to raise awareness of plastic pollution while inspiring legions of people with his amazing explorations.”
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