EMC Sponsors 19-Year-Old's South Pole Speed Record Attempt, Climate Change Research

HOPKINTON,Mass., Nov. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

News Summary:

• Polar explorer, Parker Liautaud, will attempt to set a new speed record to the South Pole while collecting data for scientific research
• Roughly 40 percent of Liautaud's route includes regions never sampled for stable isotope composition, revealing ground-breaking information on climate dynamics and trends during the last 50 years 
• EMC's DataLab, located on the expedition's web site, to perform analysis and visualizations of historic and present climate conditions, biometrics from the expedition, and the millions of conversations about climate change on social media
• Big Data analytics to reveal insight into the effects of climate change and its impact on society

Full Story:

EMC Corporation (NYSE:EMC) announced today that it is sponsoring 19-year-old polar explorer, Parker Liautaud, as he embarks on his attempt to set a new speed record traveling from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole. Along the way, Liautaud will collect isotope and weather data to better understand how the world's climate system responds to human influence.

See Parker's video here

The Willis Resilience Expedition 2013 will begin on the Ross Ice Shelf on December 3. From there, Liautaud will travel 397 miles (640km) by ski to the South Pole. To set a new  world record, Liautaud will need to travel approximately 18 miles (30km) per day for 22 days, while facing temperatures that range from -18.4°F to -76°F.

In addition to setting a new record, Liautaud will be participating in scientific research programs to compile data that will aid researchers in understanding the impacts of climate change on Antarctica. Three main components of Liautaud's research programs include:

1. Deploy and test ColdFacts-3000B AE weather station—A new type of Antarctic automatic weather station that relays meteorological data every 30 minutes to identify continent-wide and local trends in weather and climate.  
2. Survey stable isotope composition—Liautaud will collect snow samples from across Antarctica. Collected at various depths, the samples will provide information on climate dynamics and trends during the last 50 years. Roughly 40 percent of Liautaud's route includes regions never sampled for this purpose.
3. Study Tritium levels in Antarctic snow— Using the same snow samples, researchers will study Tritium, a radioactive isotope of Hydrogen that is used to accurately date water and ice up to 150 years old. By vastly expanding the data available, samples will contribute to contextualizing the climate records being extracted from Antarctica.

As the Platinum Sponsor of the expedition, EMC will engage in a comprehensive effort to connect the role Big Data has on understanding climate change and the world's changing environment. EMC's DataLab, located on the expedition's web site, utilizes a high performance analytical database built on EMC Isilon and Pivotal Greenplum technology to perform analysis and visualizations of historic and present climate conditions in Antarctica, Liautaud's biometric data from the expedition, and the millions of conversations about climate change on social media.

Executive Quote

Jeremy Burton, Executive Vice President, Product Operations & Marketing, EMC Corporation

"Big Data creates endless possibilities for insight into our changing world. Though analysis, we are able to extract meaning from data, making it more tangible and actionable. EMC is delighted to sponsor Parker Liautaud as he embarks on this important journey to advance our understanding of climate change and its impact on the world through data collection and analysis. Through new sources of knowledge, we will all benefit from working towards a more sustainable future. EMC wishes Parker the best of luck on his expedition."

Additional Resources

• Read about EMC's commitment to climate change
• For more information about EMC's sponsorship
• View EMC's DataLab
• Learn more about the Willis Resilience Expedition
• Watch Parker Liautaud prepare for his trek
• Join the conversation via Twitter: #EMCSouthpole

About EMC

EMC Corporation is a global leader in enabling businesses and service providers to transform their operations and deliver IT as a service. Fundamental to this transformation is cloud computing. Through innovative products and services, EMC accelerates the journey to cloud computing, helping IT departments to store, manage, protect and analyze their most valuable asset – information – in a more agile, trusted and cost-efficient way. Additional information about EMC can be found at www.EMC.com

SOURCE EMC Corporation