On 23/03/2014 5:11 AM, Denise Goodfellow wrote:
Beehler, Pratt and Zimmerman note that "in the last century ice covered larger areas on the Papuan
high peaks; the icecap on Mount Trikora (Wilhelmina), New Guinea’s second-higest peak has
disappeared since World War II" (1986:16). This information, of course predates Jared
Diamond’s study. It may well be that changes in the use of elevation of montane birds is even
greater than demonstrated in this study. Does anyone know if any ornithological studies were carried
out in these areas pre-war?
Denise Lawungkurr Goodfellow
PO Box 71
Darwin River, NT, Australia 0841
PhD candidate
Vice-chair Wildlife Tourism Australia
In the mid 1960s the Melbourne University Mountaineering Club, of which
we were members, contemplated a scientific trip to the PNG
glaciers/snowfields.
June 2002 imagery on Google Earth shows Carstensz Pyramid Base Campin a
valley between two small snow fields, at an altitude of about 4500m,
totalling perhaps 4 sq km, about 5 km from an unidentified mine.
It appears that it is a tourist base camp rather than scientific.
Publicity for a trekking company says:
"Carstensz Pyramid is on the island of New Guinea, the world’s third
largest island, in the province of Papua (formerly Irian Jaya), a remote
corner of Indonesia. This is the highest peak in the Australasian
continent and often the most difficult to gain access to of the seven
summits. The climb itself involves fifth class rock climbing on a
beautiful limestone summit ridge to gain the 16,023 foot/4,884 meter
summit. Carstensz Pyramid is the highest peak in the Surinam mountain
range that transects the island and sits next to the glaciated Ngapulu
Jaya.
Brian Fleming
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