What Antarctic ice cores tell us about climate change | Natural History Museum

Summary

Nerilie Abraham, an ice core scientist with the British Antarctic Survey, explores the critical insights ice cores provide about Earth's past climate. Working in Antarctica, she emphasizes the multifaceted roles scientists take on, from carpentry to cooking, in remote environments. Through drilling deep into ice sheets, they uncover ancient atmospheres trapped in bubbles, revealing a clear link between historical greenhouse gas concentrations and global temperatures. As Antarctica faces rapid climate change, understanding these ice cores is vital for predicting future climate shifts and impacts on the environment.

Takeaways

• 🌍 Ice cores are vital for understanding past climate conditions and predicting future changes.
• 🔬 Nerilie Abraham is an ice core scientist working with the British Antarctic Survey.
• 🏕️ Working in Antarctica requires scientists to be self-sufficient and take on multiple roles, such as carpenters and cooks.
• 🛠️ The drilling process involves extracting ice cores in sections, allowing for a deep-time climate analysis.
• 📏 A notable ice core drilled was 364 meters long, with ice at its bottom over 20,000 years old.
• 🌡️ Antarctica is experiencing rapid climate change, with temperatures rising over two degrees in the last 50 years.
• ⛷️ Increased glacier flow and collapsing ice shelves are indicators of significant environmental change in the region.
• 🧊 Ancient air bubbles trapped in ice provide insights into historical atmospheric compositions.
• 📈 Measuring greenhouse gas levels in these bubbles establishes a clear link between past temperatures and atmospheric concentrations.
• 🔍 This research enhances our understanding of current climate change and helps predict future climatic conditions.

Q & A

What is the role of Nerilie Abraham?

Nerilie Abraham is an ice core scientist working with the British Antarctic Survey.

Why are ice cores important for climate research?

Ice cores provide a historical record of Earth's climate, allowing scientists to understand past climate conditions and predict future changes.

What does the process of drilling an ice core involve?

The drilling process involves using a winch to lower a drill into the ice, extracting about a meter and a half of ice at a time, and repeating this until reaching the bottom of the ice sheet.

How old is the oldest ice recovered from the ice core mentioned?

The oldest ice recovered from the mentioned ice core is over 20,000 years old.

What recent climate changes have been observed in Antarctica?

Antarctica has experienced a temperature increase of over two degrees in the last 50 years, with glaciers flowing faster and ice shelves collapsing.

What can scientists learn from the bubbles trapped in ice cores?

Scientists can measure the composition of ancient atmosphere trapped in these bubbles, providing insights into historical greenhouse gas concentrations and their relationship to past temperatures.

How does measuring greenhouse gases in ice cores help understand climate change?

Measuring greenhouse gases from the ice core bubbles establishes a clear link between past temperature fluctuations and atmospheric gas concentrations, aiding in understanding current and future climate changes.

What skills do scientists need when working in the field in Antarctica?

Scientists need to be self-sufficient, taking on various roles such as carpenter, electrical engineer, and cook to successfully set up their camp and conduct research.

What is the significance of the ice core length mentioned?

The ice core drilled was 364 meters long, indicating an extensive record of climatic history, allowing for detailed study of changes over thousands of years.

How does the research on ice cores contribute to understanding future climate scenarios?

By analyzing past climate conditions captured in ice cores, researchers can better predict how the Earth's climate might change in the future based on current trends.