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Antarctica’s oldest ice arrives in the UK as scientists hope to ‘unlock the deepest…
18 July 2025, 19:17
A sign indicates that this is the site of the Beyond Epica drilling project.
Picture:
Alamy
Antarctica’s oldest ice has arrived in the UK for testing, which could reveal more about the Earth’s climate.
Scientists extracted the ice from 2.800 meters below sea level at Little Dome C in East Antarctica in a bid to “unlock the deepest secrets of Antarctica’s ice”.
The cylindrical tubes of ice will be tested by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in Cambridge and could reveal details of up to 1.5 million years of climate history.
Until now, scientists had only been able to look back 600,000 years.
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The ice arrived in the UK this week.
Picture:
@OldestIce
New information could help scientists combat climate change and other environmental phenomena, Dr Liz Thomas, who is leading the research, said.
Dr Thomas said: “It’s incredibly exciting to be part of this international effort to unlock the deepest secrets of Antarctica’s ice.
“The project is driven by a central scientific question: why did the planet’s climate cycle shift roughly one million years ago from a 41,000-year to a 100,000-year phasing of glacial-interglacial cycles?
“By extending the ice core record beyond this turning point, researchers hope to improve predictions of how Earth’s climate may respond to future greenhouse gas increases.
“Our data will yield the first continuous reconstructions of key environmental indicators-including atmospheric temperatures, wind patterns, sea ice extent, and marine productivity-spanning the past 1.5 million years,” Dr Thomas said.
“This unprecedented ice core dataset will provide vital insights into the link between atmospheric CO₂ levels and climate during a previously uncharted period in Earth’s history, offering valuable context for predicting future climate change.”
The Beyond EPICA – Oldest Ice project was funded by the European Commission and brings together researchers from across the globe.
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