Brit scientist and leading expert on climate change killed after his snowmobile plunged 100ft down crevasse in Antarctica
Dr Gordon Hamilton has been remembered as the 'quintessential scientist and teacher'
A SCOTTISH-BORN scientist and climate change expert has been killed after his snowmobile plunged 100ft into a crevasse in Antarctica.
Dr Gordon Hamilton had been conducting field research about 25 miles south of McMurdo Station, the largest of three US research stations in Antarctica, when the tragedy unfolded.
The 50-year-old had been camping with his research team in the Shear Zone, where two ice shelves meet in a large expanse three miles wide and 125 miles long.
Ice in the zone can be up to 650 feet thick and is intensely crevassed, with the fatal incident taking place on Saturday October 22.
Having grown up in Dundee and attending Ancrum Road Primary School and Harris Academy, Dr Hamilton has now been remembered for his dedication to researching climate change.
The dedicated scientist has been remembered as the "quintessential scientist and educator"
: "The death of one of our colleagues is a tragic reminder of the risks we all face--no matter how hard we work at mitigating those risks--in field research.
"Gordon will be missed by many and our hearts go out to all whose lives he touched."
: "I am deeply saddened by the news of the tragic death of Dr. Hamilton. Our thoughts are with the family and entire community as we mourn this loss."
Dr Hamilton had studied the behaviour of modern ice sheets and their role in climate change.
Before joining the university in 2000, he had held positions at the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at Ohio State University and the Norwegian Polar Institute.
He then went onto teach at the University of Maine as a professor in the School of Earth and Climate Sciences.
, saying: "Gordon’s glaciology research around the world — from Antarctica to Greenland — was second to none.
"He leaves a legacy as an outstanding scientist, and a caring mentor and well-known teacher to undergraduate and graduate students.
"He was an engaged, gregarious and beloved member of the UMaine and Orono communities that now mourn his loss. Our heart-felt thoughts and prayers go to his wife, Fiona, and their two children, Martin and Calum, and his friends and colleagues around the world."
In a 2013 video uploaded by Maine University, Dr Hamilton was heard saying: "I can’t think of a better job or another job I would rather be doing."
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