Climate Research: Oldest Ice under Procession

Scientists at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) are handling the oldest ice that has ever been unearthed: The ice cores, which were drilled during last winter in the Antarctic research station Dome C, are up to 900.000 years old. They come from a depth of 3200 metres and contain information about the climate and atmosphere of former times. The drilling was part of the “European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica” (EPICA), a joint effort of 12 institutions from 10 European countries, founded by the European Union and national contributions. In the framework of EPICA two deep ice cores are currently drilled for climate research: One at the French station Dome C and one at the German Kohnen station, which is run by the AWI. AWI represents the German part of EPICA.