Tragic scenes have unfolded in Alaska, with authorities officially calling off the search for Riccardo Pozzobon. The Italian geologist had been studying Alaska’s Mendenhall Glacier when he was reported missing on September 2.
We recently covered how the Mendenhall Glacier was linked to flooding in Alaska's capital of Juneau, but that isn't the only danger associated with the retreating glacier. It was reported that a man now known to be Pozzobon fell into a stream on the glacier and was swept into a vertical opening that was just two feet wide. His two travelling companions quickly alerted authorities, but despite a specialized rescue team being scrambled, Pozzobon couldn't be saved.
The Alaska Department of Public Safety has confirmed that the search for Pozzobon has been called off, sadly reiterating that it was too dangerous to try and enter the channel that was filled with fast-moving water.
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Italian papers claim Pozzobon fell while trying to fill his water bottle, leaving behind a wife, a son, his parents, and a sister. The Italian Geological Society expanded on Pozzobon's story and his fate, explaining how he'd gone to Alaska "to explore the secrets hidden in the icy depths of distant celestial bodies like Europa and Enceladus, studying glaciers."
After being swallowed by the meltwater, several days of search and rescue came up with nothing. Minister of Universities and Research Anna Maria Bernini stated: "The news coming from Alaska is speechless. A tragedy that deeply affects a family and shakes the entire scientific community, in Padua and throughout Italy.
"The images of Riccardo with his bright smile in 'his' research sites are the images of a man in love with his work. In his eyes is the inexhaustible curiosity that drives every true researcher. My most sincere embrace goes to his family, friends, and all his colleagues."
A donation fund in Pozzobon's honor has been set up, with the University of Padua's department of geosciences director Nicola Surian adding: “Riccardo, who was on a mission in Alaska, passed away on 2 September. He leaves behind a great void, both as a man and as a researcher. At this very sad time, the department would like to express our deepest sorrow to his family and friends."
Speleologist Francesco Sauro concluded by calling him a generous and happy person. Pozzobon is remembered for his work, even teaming up with the European Space Agency on the Pangaea training course that teaches astronauts about the geological environments on the Moon and Mars by taking them to terrestrial locations.
Pozzobon also had a paper published in Earth-Science Reviews, covering how massive tunnels and chambers created by lava beneath the surface of the Moon could provide potential places for explorers to populate.
Pozzobon's passing is the second in less than a week, following a similar incident when 69-year-old Thomas Casey from Arizona failed to return from a trip to the glacier. State troopers recovered Casey's remains, determining that he'd sustained fatal injuries from his fall.