Scientists have melted the world’s oldest ice core, which may be over 1.5 million years old, to unlock secrets about Earth’s climate history. The icy cylinder was drilled from deep inside Antarctica’s ice sheet and contains thousands of years of new information that could “revolutionise” what we know about climate change.
Dr Liz Thomas, head of ice core research at the British Antarctic Survey, calls it a “completely unknown period of our Earth’s history.” The team will slowly melt the hard-won ice over seven weeks, releasing ancient dust, volcanic ash, and tiny marine algae that were locked inside when water turned to ice. These materials can provide clues about wind patterns, temperature, and sea levels more than a million years ago.
The melting process is being carried out in a lab using specialized machines that are one of the only places in the world capable of doing this science. The ice was extracted at a cost of millions and will be analyzed by teams across Germany and Switzerland.
Researchers hope to find evidence of a period around 800,000 years ago when carbon dioxide concentrations may have been naturally as high or even higher than they are now. This could help them understand the planet’s response to warming gases trapped in the atmosphere. The team is also searching for clues about the mysterious Mid-Pleistocene Transition 800,000 to 1.2 million years ago when the planet’s glacial cycles suddenly changed.
The ice core may reveal secrets about higher sea levels and smaller Antarctic ice sheets in the past, which could shed light on how the ice sheets shrank and contributed to sea level rise – a major concern this century. The findings could provide valuable guidance for understanding the planet’s environmental history and navigating the future of climate change.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ygwd6yj28o