Beyond EPICA – Oldest Ice
The European project Beyond EPICA – Oldest Ice drills Antarctic ice to read climate and environmental history (Beyond EPICA).
Image: NASA Earth Observatory image by Joshua Stevens, Landsat data from USGS (GSFC_20171208_Archive_e000021, 2017, public domain).
Last reviewed: 2 sources cited
Ice 1.2 million years old holds a record of Earth's past climate.
Beyond EPICA has collected an Antarctic ice core reaching at least 1.2 million years back (Beyond EPICA).
Explain Like I'm 10
- Snow in Antarctica piles up into ice over a very long time.
- Tiny air bubbles in the ice hold old air.
- Scientists drill it out to learn how climate changed long ago.
The Five W's of Beyond EPICA
Who
A European project led by the Institute of Polar Sciences of Italy's National Research Council (CNR-ISP).
What
Drilling and analysing a very old Antarctic ice core.
When
Analysis of trace gases, water isotopes and impurities was set for winter 2025/26.
Why
To understand the Mid-Pleistocene Transition, when ice-age cycles changed from 40,000 to 100,000 years.
How You Can Help
- Read the press releases: share the discoveries with your class
No Donate button here: Beyond EPICA is supported by research institutions and funding agencies and does not take public donations. The ways to take part above are real options listed on the organization's own site.
Saving Planets features Beyond EPICA – Oldest Ice because its work helps the planet. This is a showcase, not a partnership: we are not partners with Beyond EPICA – Oldest Ice and receive nothing from it.
Connected Solutions
- Thwaites Glacier Collaboration Studying Antarctica's fast-changing glacier.
Impact Statement
Research solution · European project
It extracted the most detailed archive of climate and environmental history from an Antarctic ice core spanning 1.2 million years (Beyond EPICA).
Source: Beyond EPICA – Oldest Ice, home page
For Further Information: Beyond EPICA – Oldest Ice, home page
The new core reaches at least 1.2 million years (Beyond EPICA).
How This Saves People & the Planet
For People
Its data are expected to be crucial for understanding a significant phase in Earth's climate development (Beyond EPICA).
Source: Beyond EPICA – Oldest Ice, home page
For Nature
The record should shed new light on the causes of Earth's changing glacial rhythm (Beyond EPICA).
Learn More About Beyond EPICA
Want to go deeper? Read the project's press releases.
For Further InformationRelated Solutions
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Help This Work
Links go straight to the organization. Saving Planets doesn't receive any of the money.