A team of international researchers has successfully extracted a 9,186-foot-long ice core from Antarctica, providing unprecedented insights into Earth’s climate history dating back 1.2 million years. The extreme location of Little Dome C, where the ice was collected, makes it one of the harshest environments on the planet.
The ice core contains layers of compressed snowfall that have trapped air bubbles and particles, which can be analyzed to reveal how Earth’s temperature and atmosphere have shifted over time. This information is crucial for understanding how our planet responds to different greenhouse gas concentrations and predicting future climate changes.
Researchers believe that the ice core will shed light on the mysterious Mid-Pleistocene Transition, a fundamental shift in Earth’s glacial cycles that occurred between 1.2 million and 900,000 years ago. This period marked significant changes in temperature, leading to longer and more intense ice ages.
The analysis of the ice core is expected to be a multiyear endeavor, as scientists will need to carefully measure concentrations of gas and dust particles within the ice. The researchers also plan to search for older ice that could reveal even longer climate records, but this will require advanced technology and planning.
The discovery has sparked excitement among climate scientists, who recognize the importance of studying Earth’s climate history. As one researcher noted, “Antarctic ice cores are like Rosetta Stones,” providing a unique window into the past to understand the fundamental dynamics of climate change on our planet.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/10/science/antarctica-deep-ice-core/index.html