File this one under really depressing crank calls:

Caller 1: Hello, Iceland, this is Katie speaking.
Caller 2: Hello, is your glacier running?
Caller 1: Yes. Yes it is.
Caller 2: Oh jeez, really? God, I'm sorry.
Caller 1: Yeah.
Caller 2: Man, well, I guess I'll be going.
Caller 1: Guess So.
Caller 2: Okay. Um, bye.
Caller 1: Yeah.

All right, calling 011 44 77 5822 5698 won't play out quite like that, but the results should prove every bit as dramatic, and ultimately depressing. Dial the number, and you'll be connected with a real, live dying glacier, thanks to Katie Patterson, who is current holed up (and bundled up, we'd hope) in Vatnajokull, Iceland, along with her waterproof mic, itself currently installed on a glacier in the middle of a lagoon. Virgin Mobile helped her hook the mic up to a phone, making it possible for users to speak with a melting glacier.

It's all part of Patterson's elaborate, and really, really depressing art school project. Only one caller will be able to get through at a time. Operators are swimming by.

[Via TreeHugger]