Scientists Drill 1.7 Miles Into Antarctic Ice, Revealing 1.2 Million Years of Climate History
Researchers say a collected sample is the longest continuous record of Earth’s past climate from an ice core
Sarah Kuta
Daily Correspondent
January 10, 2025
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A team of 16 scientists and support staffers spent four summers drilling through Antarctic ice until they finally reached bedrock. To accomplish their goal, they endured average temperatures of -25.6 degrees Fahrenheit at a site known as Little Dome C, located near Concordia Research Station.
They removed the ice core in pieces, which they will load onto an icebreaker ship called the Laura Bassi for transport to Europe, according to a statement. On the vessel, the ice cores will be kept at -58 degrees Fahrenheit in specialized cold containers, reports CBC News.
The pieces can be reassembled once they reach their final destination. At 1.7 miles long in total, the ice core is longer than eight Eiffel Towers stacked on top of each other.
Previously, the same group had extracted an ice core from Antarctica dating back 800,000 years through an initiative called the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (EPICA). But they wanted to reach ice that was even older, so they launched the Beyond EPICA - Oldest Ice project, which was funded by the European Commission.
More:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-drill-17-miles-into-antarctic-ice-revealing-12-million-years-of-climate-history-180985809/
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