A recently discovered Antarctic ice core is the oldest known ice on Earth, dating back 1.2 million years. The 1.7-mile-long ice core was found more than 9,000 feet (2,800 meters) below the surface, where bedrock and the Antarctic ice sheet meet. At a site known as Little Dome C close to the Concordia Research Station in southeast Antarctica, the drilling was finished earlier this month. In order to retrieve this fragment of Earth’s natural history, a multinational team of scientists from ten different nations participated in the Beyond EPICA Oldest Ice project, which was supported by the European Union. They braved temperatures as low as -31 degrees Fahrenheit.
We have a strong indication that the top 2,480 meters [8,136 feet] contain a climate record that dates back to 1.2 million years in a high-resolution record where up to 13,000 years are compressed into one meter of ice, according to preliminary analyses recorded at Little Dome C, said Julien Westhoff, a postdoctoral student at Copenhagen University and a chief scientist in the field.
Clear samples of old air containing greenhouse gasses, continuous data on atmospheric temperatures, and a record of our planet’s climate history were all preserved by this recently removed ice.
To determine precisely where to drill, the team employed developments in ice flow modeling and radio echo sounding technologies. Older, severely damaged ice makes up the lowest 688 feet of the ice core above the bedrock. The team thinks they may be of unknown origin and may be mixed or frozen. Additional research could provide greater insight into the glacial past of East Antarctica and test some of the earlier hypotheses regarding the behavior of frozen ice beneath the Antarctic ice sheet.
Crucially, looking this deep into the ice may help unravel one of the biggest climate puzzles facing our planet: what transpired when glacial cycles were disturbed between 900,000 and 1.2 million years ago? According to some experts, during these significant changes in the environment, our ancestors nearly went extinct.
A key component of how scientists comprehend the past of our planet and the changing climate is ice cores and other geological materials. They have the ability to store viruses as well as air bubbles and particles that indicate temperature changes and the presence of greenhouse gasses. This aids researchers in determining potential historical climate change.
Crucially, looking this deep into the ice may help unravel one of the biggest climate puzzles facing our planet: what transpired when glacial cycles were disturbed between 900,000 and 1.2 million years ago? According to some experts, during these significant changes in the environment, our ancestors nearly went extinct.
A key component of how scientists comprehend the past of our planet and the changing climate is ice cores and other geological materials. They have the ability to store viruses as well as air bubbles and particles that indicate temperature changes and the presence of greenhouse gasses. This aids researchers in determining potential historical climate change.
