A groundbreaking discovery in Antarctica may help scientists unravel some of Earth’s oldest climate mysteries. Researchers from 12 European institutions recently drilled a 9,186-foot-deep (2,800-meter) ice core from the Antarctic ice sheet, extending to the bedrock beneath. This extraordinary sample holds air bubbles and particles dating back 1.2 million years, offering an unprecedented glimpse into Earth’s climate history.
Ice cores are essentially long-term time capsules, containing atmospheres that describe the conditions – temperature and gases – for millennia back in time, thus being integral to understanding not only how earth’s climate had changed but can also change with all this human-added warming.
One of the most fundamental questions scientists want to answer is why Earth’s ice ages began to last longer and grow more severe about 1 million years ago. This change, known as the Mid-Pleistocene Transition, had major effects on global ecosystems and may have forced ancient human populations to decline. Researchers are looking to determine the factors behind this dramatic shift by analyzing the composition of air bubbles and other inclusions in the ice.
The ice core provides essential information in predicting future changes, especially sea level rise based on modern greenhouse gas emissions. With increasing rates of global warming, insights gained from Earth’s past can aid policymakers and scientists in preparing for possible climate disruptions.
This historic achievement underlines the importance of polar research in addressing today’s environmental concerns. Revealing the secrets hidden beneath the icy surface of Antarctica completes a greater story of the 4.5-billion-year-old history of Earth and its uncertain future.
