'Really unique': Ice core drilled by U of M scientist could unlock climate history

A team of scientists successfully drilled into an ice core 2,800 metres in length, and uncovered the oldest ice core sample ever retrieved - more than 1.2 million years old. (Beyond Epica)

A Manitoba researcher was part of a historic research team that uncovered the oldest ice core ever retrieved.

Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, a researcher from the University of Manitoba, was part of a team that successfully drilled into an ice core 2,800 metres in length, and uncovered the oldest ice core ever retrieved - more than 1.2 million years old.

She said the core will give an insight into past climate patterns.

“We have small, trapped air bubbles in the ice that was formed when the snow fell on the surface and was compressed to ice,” said Dahl-Jensen.

“When we look at the ice core, we have small bubbles from the atmosphere that’s 1.2 million years old. When we take the air out of these bubbles, we can actually see what the concentration of greenhouse gases were back in time, and that’s really unique.”

The research is part of the Beyond EPICA Oldest Ice project, which includes researchers from across Europe who are looking to understand historic climate cycles. The project started a decade ago.

Dahl-Jensen said it took years to map the area to find the best ice, and only started drilling for the core in 2019.

She said the drilling takes place between November and January, Antarctica’s summer season, where the temperature is -30 C

“The challenge is that it’s really, really cold,” Dahl-Jensen said.

- With files from CTV’s Maralee Caruso