A nearly 2-mile deep drill to uncover Earth’s past

Scientists have completed a bold project: extracting an ice core nearly 2.8 km long from the Antarctic ice sheet. What secrets does this cylinder hold? It turns out that studying this ice will be crucial for understanding Earth’s changing climate.

Why is the drill so deep?

Antarctica is not just the coldest continent on Earth—it’s also the planet’s climate archive. The ice there has been forming for millions of years through layers of snow that, under their own weight, compress into ice. Each layer corresponds to a single year, and analyzing them enables scientists to track climate changes over epochs. By drilling this deep, researchers reached ice that formed over a million years ago. Such records allow the reconstruction of long-term climate processes, including glacial cycles.

Ice cores: Earth’s time capsules

Ice cores are cylindrical fragments of ice extracted from the deep layers of ice sheets. Every centimeter of these cores holds a story. Trapped within the ice are microscopic air bubbles—true time capsules. These bubbles contain the atmosphere from millions of years ago, including carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases. Analyzing their concentrations helps scientists understand past climate changes and their effects. This knowledge is critical for learning how the planet’s temperature regulation mechanisms work. Additionally, the hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in the ice reveal the temperatures present when each layer formed, offering insights into conditions that existed hundreds of thousands of years ago.

Why do scientists study ice cores?

Analyzing ice cores helps determine how variations in greenhouse gas concentrations influenced global temperatures. By comparing past climate changes with current trends, scientists can create more accurate models and predict the consequences of modern emissions. Researchers are confident that the stories told by ice cores serve as a warning about the impacts of climate change, enabling policymakers and NGOs to better plan their actions.

Working in extreme conditions

Some compare drilling in Antarctica to the challenges of space exploration. The work takes place under extreme conditions: temperatures drop below -50°C, and the nearest civilization is thousands of kilometers away. The drilling process took four years, with each stage requiring immense physical and logistical effort. Furthermore, the specialized equipment needed for drilling had to be transported by sea and then assembled and operated on the icy desert.

What happens to the extracted ice core?

After extraction, ice cores are sent to specialized laboratories such as the NSF-ICF (National Science Foundation Ice Core Facility) in the USA. They are stored in freezers at -36°C. Every fragment is meticulously cataloged and prepared for further research.

Ice cores allow scientists to read Earth’s past with unprecedented precision. They provide critical insights into the planet’s climate mechanisms. These studies not only prepare us for future challenges associated with global warming but also empower us to proactively mitigate its effects.