MODEL RELEASED. Glaciologists preparing to take an ice core using a PICO hand coring drill/auger. This lightweight portable drill was developed by the Polar Ice Coring Office (PICO) at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA. It is designed to be used in inaccessible areas, obviating the need for a full-scale drilling operation. The ice cores taken will have their densities (and hence water content) measured, allowing the amount of winter snow accumulation to be calculated. This is then offset against mass loss during the summer melt to provide the mass balance of the region's glaciers. Mass balance provides important insight into the effects of climate change. Photographed in Swedish Lapland.