An international team of scientists has achieved a significant milestone by drilling one of the oldest ice cores yet, extracting ice that is at least 1.2 million years old. The drilling, which reached nearly 2 miles (2.8 kilometers) into the Antarctic bedrock, took place at Little Dome C, near the Concordia Research Station.

The ancient ice core is expected to reveal invaluable information about Earth’s atmosphere and climate evolution, shedding light on changes in Ice Age cycles and the role of atmospheric carbon in climate shifts.

Understanding Earth’s past through ice cores

Carlo Barbante, an Italian glaciologist and coordinator of the Beyond EPICA project, expressed the significance of the discovery:
“Thanks to the ice core, we will understand what has changed in terms of greenhouse gases, chemicals, and dust in the atmosphere,” said Barbante, who also directs the Polar Science Institute at Italy’s National Research Council.

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This research builds on a previous campaign that extracted an 800,000-year-old ice core. The Beyond EPICA team, comprising 16 scientists and support personnel, worked over four summers in temperatures averaging -35°C (-25.6°F) to reach the bedrock.

Italian researcher Federico Scoto described the moment they completed the drilling as monumental:
“It was a great moment for us when we reached the bedrock.”

Preliminary isotope analysis confirms the ice’s age to be at least 1.2 million years old.

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Key insights from previous ice cores

Barbante noted that analysis of the previous EPICA ice core revealed that greenhouse gas concentrations—such as carbon dioxide and methane—never exceeded levels recorded since the Industrial Revolution, even during the warmest periods of the last 800,000 years.

“Today, we are seeing carbon dioxide levels that are 50% above the highest levels we’ve had over the last 800,000 years,” Barbante added.

A global collaboration

The European Union funded the Beyond EPICA project with contributions from multiple European nations. Italy coordinated the effort, demonstrating the strength of international scientific cooperation.

Excitement in the scientific community

Richard Alley, a climate scientist at Penn State and recipient of the National Medal of Science, praised the project as groundbreaking.
“This is truly, truly, amazingly fantastic. They will learn wonderful things,” Alley said.

The core not only offers insights into ancient climate conditions but also holds the potential for understanding Earth’s history beyond the ice record itself.

This discovery is expected to deepen our understanding of Earth’s climate history and its implications for present and future climate change.