The SPANTIK Lab 2026 expedition, the second campaign of the three-year research project dedicated to the Chogo Lungma Glacier in the Pakistani Karakorum, has come to an end.
During the expedition, the international team consolidated and expanded the observation network established in 2025, collecting new data to support research on glaciers, water resources, the atmosphere and high-altitude ecosystems.
In Arandu, in the Basha Valley, the team serviced and upgraded the ARES air-quality monitoring system and restored the automatic weather station. The researchers also checked the instruments and retrieved twelve months of environmental data.
On the Chogo Lungma Glacier, an automatic weather station was successfully implemeted at Base Camp, at an elevation of approximately 4,300 metres. The station will measure temperature, humidity, wind, solar radiation, albedo and energy exchanges between the atmosphere and the glacier surface.
At Mid Camp, at approximately 3,700 metres, data were downloaded from the monitoring network and the arm of the snow-depth sensor, which had been damaged during the winter, was replaced. Six ablation stakes were also used to measure ice melt.
The scientific programme also included glaciological transects, the collection of cryoconite and supraglacial sediment samples, springtail sampling and observations aimed at studying microbial communities, contaminants and the processes affecting the glacier surface.
“Despite the logistical and weather-related difficulties, the group worked with great determination and a strong spirit of cooperation. Everyone made their skills available to the others, enabling us to complete a very important part of the programme. The positive atmosphere within the group, together with the close cooperation established with our Pakistani colleagues, is one of the most valuable outcomes of this mission,” says Maurizio Gallo, EvK2CNR Expedition Leader.
“The data collected and the new instruments installed significantly strengthen the Chogo Lungma observation network. The meteorological, glaciological, biological and remote-sensing measurements will help us better understand the evolution of the glacier and the connections between climate, water availability and high-altitude ecosystems. Our work will now continue with the analysis and integration of the data,” explains Davide Fugazza, Scientific Coordinator of the expedition.
The expedition had to end earlier than planned because of the exceptional weather conditions affecting Gilgit-Baltistan. Torrential rainfall caused flooding, landslides, debris flows, damage to bridges and prolonged disruption along the Karakoram Highway and the region’s main connecting roads.
After being stranded in Skardu for several days and making repeated attempts to reach Gilgit, the team was forced to cancel the final phase of the expedition in the Passu area. The need to protect the safety of all team members, together with the impossibility of transporting the scientific equipment, made an early return unavoidable.
THE SPANTIK Lab 2026 TEAM
EvK2CNR would like to thank every Italian and Pakistani member of the expedition:
– Maurizio Gallo, Expedition Leader – EvK2CNR
– Davide Fugazza, Scientific Coordinator – University of Milan, Department of Environmental Science and Policy / EvK2CNR
– Dario Eynard, Environmental Engineer – EvK2CNR
– Cecilia Almagioni, PhD Researcher – University of Milan
– Michele Di Biase, PhD Researcher – Ca’ Foscari University of Venice / University of Milan
– Francesca Pittino, Environmental Microbiologist – University of Milano-Bicocca
– Marco Majori, IFMGA-UIAGM Mountain Guide – Italian Army Sports Centre
– Loris Buzzi, IFMGA-UIAGM Mountain Guide – Italian Army Sports Centre
– Qurat-ul-Ain Ahmad, Researcher – Global Change Impact Studies Centre, Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Pakistan
– Sheraz Ali, Assistant Director – Gilgit-Baltistan Environmental Protection Agency
Special thanks also go to Riaz Ul Hassan, Arif Hussain, Aurang Zaib and Sadia Munir of the EvK2CNR staff in Pakistan for the invaluable organisational, technical and logistical support provided throughout the expedition, as well as to all the local guides, porters, drivers and collaborators who made the fieldwork possible.
PARTNERS AND INSTITUTIONS
SPANTIK Lab – Mountain Laboratory for Climate Research is carried out within the framework of the Water4Development project, funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperationthrough the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and implemented by EvK2CNR in collaboration with UNDP Pakistan.
The mission was made possible through the cooperation of:
· University of Milan – Department of Environmental Science and Policy
· University of Cagliari
· Karakoram International University
· University of Baltistan
· Global Change Impact Studies Centre, Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Pakistan (GCISC)
· Environmental Protection Agency Gilgit-Baltistan (EPA GB)
· Proambiente S.C.r.l.
EvK2CNR extends its sincere gratitude to all the scientific and institutional partners, the Pakistani authorities, the local communities and everyone who supported the expedition.
The field mission may be over, but the scientific work continues. Over the coming months, the data collected will be analysed and integrated to reconstruct the evolution of the Chogo Lungma Glacier and improve our understanding of the impacts of climate change on the mountain environments and communities of the Karakorum.
Follow SPANTIK Lab and EvK2CNR to discover the results of the expedition, the next scientific activities and all future updates from the high-altitude laboratory on the Chogo Lungma Glacier.
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