Oldest Antarctic ice core reveals climate history

Secrets of the Earth’s past climate locked in a three-kilometre long Antarctic ice core are revealed this week in the journal Nature. The core from Dome C, high on East Antarctica’s plateau, contains snowfall from the last 740,000 years and is by far the oldest continuous climate record obtained from ice cores so far.

The ice has been collected in an eight year project by scientists and engineers from 10 European countries.  Analysis of ice cores shows how temperature changed in the past, but also how the concentrations of gases and particles in the atmosphere varied.

The first results confirm that over the last 740,000 years the Earth experienced eight ice ages, when Earth’s climate was much colder than today, and eight warmer periods (interglacials).  In the last 400,000 years the warm periods have had a temperature similar to that of today.  Before that time they were less warm, but lasted longer.

By comparing the pattern of this past climate with global environmental conditions today the scientists conclude that, without human influence, we could expect the present warm period to last at least another 15 000 years.

The next step in the research is to extract air from tiny bubbles in the ice, and to find out how the atmosphere’s composition has varied.  Preliminary analyses show that the present carbon dioxide concentration is the highest level seen in the last 440,000 years.  By understanding what drove past changes in climate, the scientists expect to improve predictions about future climate.

The Dome C drilling is part of the ‘European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica’ (EPICA). The team at Dome C endured summer temperatures as low as minus 40ºC at the remote drilling site over a thousand kilometres from the nearest research station. The consortium will continue to drill at the site from December 2004, and hopes to reach the rocks at the base of the ice sheet.  There are just 100 metres still to drill, and if all goes well, the team will reach ice over 900,000 years old at the base.

-ENDS-

Issued on behalf of the EPICA Steering Committee, The European Union, and the European Science Foundation.

Contact

For more information contact:

Belgium:
Professor Roland Souchez
+32 2 650 22 16
+32 2 650 22 26
typo3/esf_contacts_form.php?mail=b30d14e39a23bb294a6438c4d041346d

Denmark :
Dr. Joergen Peder Steffensen
+45 35 32 05 60
+45 35 36 53 57
typo3/esf_contacts_form.php?mail=f079801cee7c878d8c3bc470b9ca87a5

France:
Dr. Dominique Raynaud
+33 4 76 824 245
+33 4 76 824 201
typo3/esf_contacts_form.php?mail=f18ec67ef54579700cfb9e7f55e35b67

 Dr. Jean Jouzel
+33 139 255 816
+33 139 255 823
typo3/esf_contacts_form.php?mail=30d5eca242f534e31da9cf32e0bc9741

Dr. Gérard Jugie
+33 2 98 05 65 02
+33 2 98 05 65 10
typo3/esf_contacts_form.php?mail=00a68c433df734d069c8626ef666670f

Germany:
Professor Heinz Miller
+49 471 4831 1210
+49 471 4831 1271
typo3/esf_contacts_form.php?mail=43ed6b04f30930b71c50c65d05464144

Dr. Hans Oerter
49 471 483 113 47
+49 471 483 111 49
typo3/esf_contacts_form.php?mail=b639212fedc57406bf9c329b5d9933c3

Italy
Dr. Valter Maggi
+39 026 448 2874
+39 026 448 2895
typo3/esf_contacts_form.php?mail=8e2afe625fd5d2698cf12ad7f2752ffc

Netherlands
Dr. Michiel Roland Van Den Broeke
+31 30 253 3169
+31 30 254 3163
typo3/esf_contacts_form.php?mail=11e8cd8c928983c0e1d187ab5da2c47e

Norway
Dr. Jan Gunnar Winther
+47 77 75 05 31
+47 77 75 05 01
typo3/esf_contacts_form.php?mail=24e0c4e54300d80fb92a0ed578bf9e3a

Sweden
Dr. Margareta Hansson
+46 8 674 7865
+46 8 164 818
typo3/esf_contacts_form.php?mail=1f39160c1af659e43a0ef355faf862e7

Switzerland
Professor Thomas Stocker
+41 316 314 464
+41 316 318 742
typo3/esf_contacts_form.php?mail=ea1f2f2f80452671892b190b23037a5a

Dr. Jakob Schwander
+41 31 631 4476
+41 31 631 4405
typo3/esf_contacts_form.php?mail=6be843b8c86e3afac17cec81ad66d9cb

UK

Dr. Eric Wolff
+44 122 322 1491
+44 122 322 1279

Note to editors

EPICA (European Ice Core Project in Antarctica) is a consortium of 10 European countries (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, UK).  EPICA is coordinated by the European Science Foundation (ESF), and funded by the participating countries and by the European Union.   

The EPICA research team is using the unique climate record from ice cores to investigate the relationship between the chemistry of the atmosphere and climate changes over the past 740,000 years, especially the effects of carbon dioxide, methane and other components of the atmosphere.  The results will be used to test and enhance computer models used to predict future climate.  EPICA’s aim is to drill two ice cores to the base of the Antarctic ice sheet, one at Dome C, the other in Dronning Maud Land.  Both drillings hope to reach their aim in the next 2 years.

The ice cores are cylinders of ice 10 cm in diameter that are brought to the surface in lengths of about 3 metres at a time.  Snowflakes collect particles from the atmosphere, and pockets of air become trapped between snow crystals as ice is formed. Analysis of the chemical composition and physical properties of the snow and the trapped air, including atmospheric gases such as CO2 and methane, shows how the Earth’s climate has changed over time.

The Antarctic fieldwork is challenging both scientifically and environmentally.  Dome C (75° 06’S, 123° 21’E) is one of the most hostile places on the planet, and average annual temperatures are below –54 degrees Celsius.  Researchers travel by tractor over thousands of kilometres of featureless snow where blizzards are common. 

Additional information for national press:

Here each nation may add 2-3 paragraphs of information about their institute, their involvement in EPICA, and additional contact details relating to their country.

Category: Media Centre, Press Releases 2004