Scientists Drill Ancient Ice Core to Reveal 1.2 Million Years of Climate History

An international team of scientists has successfully drilled a nearly two-mile-deep ice core in Antarctica, uncovering ice that is at least 1.2 million years old. This significant achievement was made at the Little Dome C site, where the researchers aim to shed light on Earth's atmospheric and climatic history.

The findings are anticipated to provide insights into Ice Age cycles and the historical changes in atmospheric carbon levels. Carlo Barbante, an Italian glaciologist and project coordinator, emphasized the importance of this ice core for understanding past concentrations of greenhouse gases, dust, and climate evolution over millennia.

The project, known as Beyond EPICA, was made possible by the European Union and several contributing nations, with its completion taking four years of summer drilling efforts in extreme conditions. Previous studies from a related project revealed that greenhouse gas concentrations during warm periods of the last 800,000 years have not exceeded modern levels observed since the Industrial Revolution.

With the research community expressing enthusiasm, climate scientist Richard Alley noted that the drill reaching bedrock holds the potential for revealing even more about Earth's climate history beyond just ice records.