Posted on May, 01 2015

WWF appears to have lost two good friends. Marc Cornelissen and Philip de Roo from the Netherlands went missing last week while researching ice conditions in the Canadian Arctic. The two researchers are presumed drowned.
 
Marc Cornelissen has been the WWF Netherlands ambassador for the Arctic since 2002. Philip de Roo has been active with WWF from an early age beginning with his time as a WWF Ranger.
 
The team were skiing across sea ice about 1,500 kilometres from the North Pole on an expedition to the Last Ice Area for their organization, Cold Facts. In his last posted message, Cornelissen noted the presence of thin ice.
 
WWF Netherlands CEO Johan van de Gronden said: “The thought that Marc Cornelissen and Philip de Roo may never return from the Arctic wilderness they so passionately tried to protect fills me with deep sadness. They have been staunch ambassadors of both the splendour and the fragility of the polar regions. In a cruel twist of fate, they were exploring and researching what we assume will soon be known as 'the Last Ice Area' on their final and fatal mission. Our thoughts are now foremost with their bereaved families and friends.”