Pen Bay Pilot reports 2019 Everest expedition garners world records

The Penobscot Bay Pilot reported that a 2019 National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition, which included six University of Maine researchers, set three Guinness World Records. The team from UMaine included expedition leader Paul Mayewski, the director of UMaine’s Climate Change Institute; Geology team co-leader Aaron Putnam, an assistant professor; member of the Glaciology and Summit team Mariusz Potocki, a doctoral candidate; Glaciology team member Heather Clifford, a graduate student; and student members of the Geology team Peter Strand and Laura Mattas. The records achieved, which are featured in the latest edition of the Guinness World Records book include the highest altitude ice core taken, the highest altitude weather station established on land, and the highest altitude microplastic found on land.