Scientists in Antarctica announced on Thursday, Jan. 9, that they have extracted what is believed to be the world’s oldest ice. The team from Europe drilled nearly two miles to obtain the ancient ice, as they work to unravel the mysteries of the planet’s prehistoric climate.
The 1.2-million-year-old ice core, which is reportedly the length of about “eight Eifel Towers end-to-end,” is now expected to give researchers better insight into how Earth’s atmosphere and climate has transformed over hundreds of thousands of years.
Preserved within the ice are reportedly “ancient air bubbles” which could reveal how greenhouse gases, atmospheric chemicals and dust levels have changed.
The study expands on earlier research that shows concentrations of greenhouse gases over the last 800,000 years never went beyond the levels seen since “the dawn of the Industrial Revolution.”
Through analysis of the ice core, researchers aim to answer questions about climate shifts of the past, and determine the long-term impact of human activities.
Scientists also hope the research may reveal what happened 900,000 to 1.2 million years ago, when “glacial cycles” changed, and some researchers said humans’ ancestors narrowly escaped extinction.
The scientists said their working temperatures averaged around negative 35 degrees Celsius. The core was reportedly drilled in one of the most remote areas of Antarctica. The project was a four-year effort.
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