Antarctic scientists are close to finalising a drilling location deep in the frozen continent’s interior that could reveal a continuous record of the Earth’s climate going back 1.5 million years. After almost a decade of work, scientists at the Australian Antarctic Division are close to pinpointing a place to drill an ice core almost 3,000-metres deep. A successful mission would give scientists a reliable record of the Earth’s ancient climate.
Textile artist Hadley Westwood has created another batch of bespoke beanies for members of the winter team at Mawson research station, inspired by photos.
Ice cores have been a key tool for the worldâs climate scientists to understand what has happened to the Earthâs climate in the past and what could happen in the future as greenhouse gas levels from fossil fuel burning continue to rise.
The area around Little Dome C is about 40 kilometres away from Dome C â also known as Dome Concordia â which is the site of the longest continuous ice core record so far, going back about 800,000 years.
A Europe-backed effort that has worked closely with the Australian team has already pinpointed a drill site in the same Little Dome C region.
Antarctica experienced its first outbreak last month
Credit: Getty
Sub-zero temperatures, month-long snowstorms and icy underfoot conditions make Antarctica one of the most dangerous places to live and work on the planet. At the 70 permanent research stations, domestic quarters can be claustrophobic, and the outside fieldwork relies upon skis, snowmobiles and heavy machinery.
Thousands of miles from the nearest intensive care unit, Antarctica has never been an ideal place to break a bone, have a diving accident or simply catch a cold. Supply ships try their best to arrive on schedule, but fresh food is rare, the winters are long and dark, and a vital medevac may be a long time coming.
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