4 minute read
ON TOP OF OUR PERPETUAL PLANET
ON TOP OF OUR PERPETUAL
PLANET National Geographic and Rolex have taken exploration to new heights since the installation of the world’s loftiest weather station in the Americas.
WORDS DEBBIE HATHWAY
The expedition team installs the highest weather station in the southern and western hemispheres at 6 505 metres
BELOW LEFT TO
RIGHT Horses and mules were essential for carrying supplies on the 2021 expedition
National Geographic explorer and expedition co-lead Gino Casassa prepares for the ascent on horseback to Tupungatito Bajo weather station
Climate scientist Professor Baker Perry
The highest weather station installed on the Tupungato Volcano
IIN MARCH 2021, a National Geographic team of explorers and scientists installed a weather station – the highest in the southern and western hemispheres – just below the summit of Tupungato Volcano in the Southern Andes. The goal? To collect data to analyse the effect of climate change on water resources supplied to billions of people.
Under the Perpetual Planet Expeditions banner, National Geographic and Rolex combine scientifi c expertise with cutting-edge technology to discover more about the impacts of climate change on the natural systems that we cannot live without: mountains as the world’s water towers, rainforests as the planet’s lungs, and the ocean as its cooling system. Water towers are described as the most important as these mountainous and glacial regions serve as giant storage tanks for fresh water that billions of people depend on. The Tupungato Volcano project exists in cooperation with Chile’s government and builds on the National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Expedition to Mount Everest in 2019. The focus of that expedition was to learn more about the effects of climate change on the glaciers of the Hindu Kush-Himalaya. Located on Tupungato’s summit, at a height of 6 505m, the new weather station will now function alongside lower stations at the upper Aconcagua basin 70km northeast of Santiago at 4 400m and two on the neighbouring volcano, Tupungatito, at 4 400m and 5 750m. ‘With the installation of the highest weather station in the Americas, scientists will now have a window into atmospheric processes in the high Chilean Andes. One of the most vulnerable water towers in the world, this mountain range provides critical freshwater to more than six million inhabitants in nearby Santiago. The expedition is contributing to a Perpetual Planet by pushing the limits of scientifi c discovery and exploration to the highest reaches of the planet,’ says Profession Baker Perry, climate scientist at the Appalachian State University in North Carolina, US, and co-lead of the Tupungato Volcano expedition.
EXPLORING NEW TERRITORIES
Mountainous terrains and the adventurers that conquer them have provided Rolex with valuable information to evolve and improve the performance of their watches since the 1930s. Today Rolex champions exploration for the sake of safeguarding the planet through its Perpetual Planet initiative.
Rolex timepieces are renowned for their excellent quality, elegance and prestige. The movements of the Oyster Perpetual watches are certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres or COSC) before being tested again at the integrated and independent Swiss watch manufacturer. The Superlative Chronometer certification, symbolized by the green seal, confirms that each watch has passed the stringent Rolex quality checks for precision, performance and reliability.
The Tupungato Volcano project team was equipped with the new Oyster Perpetual Explorer II, an essential exploration tool. Rolex previously supplied watches to the expedition that saw Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay summit the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest. The word ‘Perpetual’ is inscribed on every Rolex Oyster watch.
PHOTGRAPHY ©ROLEX/ULYSSE FRÉCHELIN
TOP The 42mm Oyster Perpetual Explorer II is designed for the most fearless explorers. The Oystersteel steel tool watch features a redesigned case and strap, yet remains faithful to the original aesthetic
ABOVE
The new 36mm Oyster Perpetual Explorer in yellow Rolesor is the same size as the model launched after the Mount Everest ascent by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay
Expedition co-leads Baker Perry and Gino Casassa descend from Tupungato Volcano
