Ancient Ice Could Help Explain Why Earth's Climate Is Warming
- Scientists search for ice core that's 1.5 million years old
- Conference in Tasmania discussed future Antarctic missions
Meltdown: The Science Behind Climate Change
It could be a key to unlocking a mystery about the world’s climate: a piece of ice so old it formed when ice ages were more frequent, about a million years ago. It may even give scientists insight into what is happening now, as the planet warms. But first they have to find it.
This won’t be as easy as picking up a hammer and knocking a few chips off a block. First, they need an ice core that allows them to see changes in the atmosphere over time. Cores are 4 to 5 inches (10 to 13 centimeters) in diameter and stretch for almost 2 miles (3 kilometers) when all the pieces are laid end to end, said Ed Brook, a professor of earth, ocean and atmospheric sciences at Oregon State University in Corvallis. And the oldest ones retrieved to date are 800,000 years old.