Australian, Dutch scientists complete Antarctic ice-drilling mission

A view of Antarctica’s ice sheet and mountains seen from a U.S. Air National Guard LC-130 aircraft during a flight to the South Pole in December 2012. (Credit: NASA/Christy Hansen)

Dutch and Australian Scientists have completed an ice-drilling expedition in Antarctica, according to The Guardian. They’ve collected ice cores some 2,000 years old that will be analyzed at the Australian Antarctic Division.

As well as providing a snapshot of Earth’s climate over the past few thousand years, the cores will help future scientists locate older ice cores. Within a decade, Antarctic researchers say, a  million-year climate record will be in reach.

Key to getting ice cores that old is locating an area where the ice is deep and stable enough for long-term drilling. These cores give scientists more information on where such a site could be, while contributing to current efforts to assess climate change.

Image: A view of Antarctica’s ice sheet and mountains seen from a U.S. Air National Guard LC-130 aircraft during a flight to the South Pole in December 2012. (Credit: NASA/Christy Hansen)