Probing the mysteries of our climate is Lonnie Thompson’s passion. Thompson has trekked the globe in search of evidence – ice – to prove that the earth is warming.

His research has taken him to some of the highest, most hostile environments — from the Himalayas to the Andes to Kilimanjaro – where Thompson has extracted core samples that reveal a history of the earth’s changing climate.

Rolling Stone magazine, in a 2005 profile, said “Lonnie Thompson has spent more time above 18,000 feet than any other person on Earth.’’

The core samples have enabled Thompson to put together a record of the earth’s temperatures dating back hundreds of thousands of years. Along the way, Thompson has been involved in the development of lightweight, solar-powered drilling equipment to pull those core samples from the ice.

Thompson earned a doctorate in geological sciences from Ohio State University in 1976. He has led more than 60 research expeditions in the ensuing years and has held a number of teaching and research positions at the university. Since 2002 he has been senior research scientist at the university’s Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center.

By Robert Warrren