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Mapping the last glaciers in Oceania – in pictures

Puncak Jaya in Indonesia is one of the last equatorial mountains with glaciers but the ice has retreated drastically because of the climate crisis. Project Pressure came to the mountain to create the first 3D model of the remaining ice before it disappears

‘Planetary destruction on fast-forward’: witnessing the disappearance of Indonesia’s eternity glaciers

Puncak Jaya (4,884m) on Papua, Indonesia, is the tallest mountain in Oceania. Photograph: Klaus Thymann/Project Pressure

Words by Allison Brown and photographs by Klaus Thymann/Project Pressure

Tue 26 May 2026 23.00 EDT

Last modified on Wed 27 May 2026 07.08 EDT

Aerial view of the city — Timika is the hub for the PT Freeport Indonesia’s gold and copper mining. The mine is among the world’s largest reserves of these minerals but is controversial for its environmental and social impacts, including pollution and displacementPhotograph: Klaus Thymann/Project Pressure
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Three children stand outside a building with a bike — The Kamoro community is one of several Indigenous groups in central Papua. Mining operations now occupy their ancestral land. The area surrounding Timika is home to several distinct Indigenous communities living in the coastal and rainforest-covered lowlands and mountain highlandsPhotograph: Klaus Thymann/Project Pressure
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A large meander in a tropical river seen from above — A rare clear morning allows our helicopter to take off. We fly over rivers and rainforest. The nearby mine has been accused of dumping waste in the waterwaysPhotograph: Klaus Thymann/Project Pressure
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A road snakes through mountainous jungle — The helicopter follows the road used by the PT Freeport mine. Only people associated with the mine can access this road. The scheduled trips are escorted by armed militaryPhotograph: Klaus Thymann/Project Pressure
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Mountains shrouded in clouds — As we reach higher altitude the temperature drops. Our pilot navigates by sight. The helicopter is surrounded by mountains on all sidesPhotograph: Klaus Thymann/Project Pressure
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A glacial valley surrounded by mountains — Arriving at basecamp in Puncak Jaya’s Yellow Valley. Flying from sea-level to 4,150 metres in about 25 minutes is a difficult ascent with risk of altitude sicknessPhotograph: Klaus Thymann/Project Pressure
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People wearing warm clothes stand near tents in a mountain camp — The camp is shared by several trekking companies bringing climbers to the peak of Puncak Jaya, one of mountaineering’s legendary ‘seven summits’ – the highest mountain peaks on each of the continents. It is also Project Pressure’s mountain home for several days as the team waits for an opening in the cloudsPhotograph: Klaus Thymann/Project Pressure
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Bright green lakes surrounded by mountains — A view of Puncak Jaya from the glacier survey location. The trek to the glacier survey point takes the team past several small lakes created by the consistent mountain rainPhotograph: Klaus Thymann/Project Pressure
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A peson operates a drone with a handheld remote control. The glacier is visible in the background — At the survey point, the team places colourful ground control targets. Klaus Thymann uses a drone to take hundreds of high-resolution images of the area. The images are combined into a photogrammetry modelPhotograph: Klaus Thymann/Project Pressure
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A bright red and green square of material stakes on to rocky ground — The ground control points are bright so they stand out in the drone images, this will help the team reference coordinates on to the photogrammetry model. Several points are needed to triangulate coordinates across the modelPhotograph: Klaus Thymann/Project Pressure
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People in a mountainous environment with a lake below them in the distance — Aerial view of the team taking coordinates on the ground as clouds roll in. A lake now fills the indent where the glacier used to be. The team uses Trimble geospatial technology to log the location coordinates of the targets; the tool gives high precision positions within a few centimetres. Since the glacier is beyond the standard trekking routes, they are joined by a local military guard, which lends a hand with the survey processPhotograph: Klaus Thymann/Project Pressure
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A glacier between mountain peaks — A clear morning allows Project Pressure to capture extensive images of the East Northwall Firn glacier area. Ice once covered the top of the mountain from one ridge to another and in between but now is concentrated in the saddle between themPhotograph: Klaus Thymann/Project Pressure
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The extend of the glacier is highlighted in bright blue shading in this photogrammetry model. — A still image from the final 3D photogrammetry model. In blue is the fragmented East Northwall Firn glacier. Project Pressure’s calculations show that the glacier has decreased in area by approximately 95% since 2002Photograph: Klaus Thymann & Pix4D/Project Pressure
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A lake with mountain peaks in the background — The remaining ice on Puncak Jaya is likely to disappear within the next few years. The 3D photogrammetry model created from this expedition will offer a visual legacy of the glacier for future generations.Photograph: Klaus Thymann/Project Pressure
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