Trekking through Antarctica is no small feat. Even over a century ago, explorer Robert Falcon Scott faced dire conditions, writing about the risks and challenges during his attempt to reach the South Pole. He believed in embracing the hardships without complaint.
Today, scientists continue to combat extreme weather in Antarctica. Dr. Joel Pedro, a paleoclimate scientist, is on a mission to discover the world’s oldest ice. Though delays from past seasons have tested his team’s patience, this summer is looking promising as they prepare for groundbreaking work.
Dr. Pedro leads Australia’s Million Year Ice Core project, seeking ice packs over a million years old. This ancient ice holds air bubbles that can reveal secrets about our planet’s climate history and inform future trends, especially as CO2 levels rise due to human activities.
Last season was particularly challenging. A 500-tonne convoy was tasked with a long 1,200km journey from Casey research station to their drill site, Little Dome C. However, the team encountered a setback when half of them contracted COVID-19. Although the illness wasn’t severe, some members had to return to Australia. The altitude of their location also raised concerns about recovery.
Eventually, they faced more weather-related delays that pushed their schedule back by several weeks. With time running out in the season, the difficult choice was made to pause drilling operations.
Meanwhile, a European project called Beyond Epica, located just 4km away, successfully uncovered a 2.8km-long ice core believed to be over 1.2 million years old. This added pressure on Dr. Pedro’s team to make a strategic decision—either wait to drill in the same area or explore a new site.
New radar data suggested that Dome C North, 45km away, might hold even older ice—up to 2 million years old. This discovery led Dr. Pedro to make the tough choice to relocate. “It’s worth it scientifically,” he noted after some sleepless nights over the decision.
In December, a convoy of 642 tonnes headed to Dome C North, arriving on Christmas Eve. They even enjoyed a holiday celebration with colleagues at the nearby Concordia station. With renewed spirits, the team set up for the drilling work that awaited them.
On New Year’s Eve, the drilling crew arrived and quickly set up a permanent shelter for their operations. The structure is built to withstand the harshest of Antarctic conditions, with inside facilities equipped for drilling that could endure temperatures as low as -80C.
Drilling officially commenced just days later, and the team swiftly reached a depth of 80 metres. Dr. Pedro expressed his excitement over the swift progress after previous years of logistical hurdles. Their aim is to delve deeper, reaching 150 metres by the end of January. For the next five years, they will extract three-metre-long cylinders of ice, eventually reaching bedrock over 3km deep.
As ice cores are retrieved, they undergo meticulous processing. Chelsea Long, a PhD student, is responsible for handling the cores, which emerge at around -55C, making them impossible to touch directly.
After collection, the ice samples will be analyzed back in Australia. Scientists will study their composition to trace historical climate changes, identify volcanic activity, and assess greenhouse gas levels—crucial insights for understanding past climates.
If they manage to extract ice older than 1.2 million years, it will provide a deeper understanding of Earth’s climate patterns, especially through pivotal periods like the mid-Pleistocene transition. “It’s about understanding long-term stability,” Dr. Pedro emphasizes. “The results will greatly enhance our climate models and predictions for the future.”
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