Claude Lorius: Pioneering French climate change scientist dies aged 91

Claude Lorius, a starring glaciologist whose expeditions helped beryllium that humans were liable for planetary warming, has died astatine the property of 91.

He led 22 expeditions to Greenland and Antarctica during his lifetime.

It was during 1 travel to Antarctica successful 1965 wherever an evening of whiskey with crystal cubes led him to beryllium humankind's relation successful the heating of the Earth's surface.

Lorius died connected Tuesday greeting successful the French portion of Burgundy.

It was his emotion of escapade which acceptable him connected the way to identifying and predicting an impending catastrophe for the planet.

In 1956, conscionable retired of university, helium joined an expedition to Antarctica. Temperatures determination were arsenic debased arsenic -40C (-40F).

Despite this, Lorius and 2 different radical lived determination for 2 years, surviving with constricted supplies and a faulty radio.

The much polar expeditions helium led to the continent, the much helium became fascinated with Antarctica's mysteries.

In 1965, Lorius had a revelation by gathering crystal samples and dropping them successful whiskey. He spoke astir it fractional a period later.

"One evening, aft heavy drilling, successful our caravan we drank a solid of whiskey successful which we had enactment crystal cubes of aged ice," helium said.

"Seeing the bubbles of aerial sparkling successful our glasses, I came to the thought that they were samples of the ambiance trapped successful the ice."

Realising the technological imaginable of analysing trapped air, helium past decided to survey crystal cores - samples drilled retired of the crystal which enactment arsenic frozen clip capsules.

By drilling into the ice, Lorius drilled into the past, penetrating, successful his words, the "ice of the archetypal Ice Age".

His probe showed that portion c dioxide had varied slightly, aft the Industrial Revolution concentrations of the greenhouse state had rocketed arsenic temperatures rose.

The French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) said this near "no country for doubt" that planetary warming was owed to antheral made pollution.

From past connected helium became a campaigner and successful 1988 helium was the inaugural adept of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel connected Climate Change.

In 2002, helium was awarded the CNRS golden medal on with his workfellow Jean Jouzel.

Lorius was besides the archetypal Frenchmen to person the prestigious Blue Planet Prize.