Government geologist Gino Casassa steps down from the helicopter and looks around in dismay. Casassa is standing at the foot of a glacier, 4 200 m above sea level. The sky over the Andes is a deep blue, but something is not right: It’s July – mid-winter in South America – and yet it’s mild for the time of year, above 0 °C. He takes off his orange ski jacket and walks on the bare rock.
