A descent into darkness

The beautiful water-carved ice caves within the Larsbreen glacier above Longyearbyen, Svalbard, are a popular attraction for visiting tourists, and the adventurous, experienced and well-equipped can venture right to the bottom. The configuration of the caves changes during the summer months due to the input of surface meltwater, and are accessible over winter when they freeze solid. An effort to map out the configuration of the caves every winter led by Kiya Riverman of Penn State University will shed light into how these channels evolve in a warming climate. In this photo, Will Kochtitzky of the University of Maine carefully abseils down a nick-point during a mapping expedition.