The Million Year Ice Core (MYIC) project, led by Australia, has successfully extracted its initial deep ice core from Antarctica. This development marks a step toward recovering a climate record intended to extend beyond 1.2 million years, providing insights into past climate dynamics and informing future climate predictions.
Initial Extraction and Drilling Technology
A nearly one-meter-long ice core was retrieved from a depth of 151 meters at the Dome C North drilling site. This extraction follows seven years of work dedicated to the design, construction, testing, and commissioning of a specialized drill.
The custom-designed drill, developed by the Australian Antarctic Division, is 8.4 meters long and engineered to penetrate more than 3,000 meters into the ice sheet. Its design adapted a Danish model for specific Antarctic operating conditions, which include temperatures as low as -55°C and pressures up to 300 kilograms per square centimeter. The drill's purpose is to recover ice containing trapped gases and chemicals, which offer continuous records of Earth's past climate.
Project Location and Logistics
The MYIC project team, supported by a tractor-traverse team, has been active at the Dome C North drilling site since late November. The site is situated 1,200 kilometers inland from Australia's Casey research station and is 3,239 meters above sea level.
Operations at the site have involved preparing the remote inland station, establishing power infrastructure, and setting up essential equipment. This infrastructure includes a four-tonne winch, which is critical for lowering and raising the deep ice core drill. A previous field season utilized a shallow drill to create a pilot hole and extract 150 meters of ice core, which provided approximately 4,000 years of climate history.
Scientific Objectives and Future Schedule
Dr. Joel Pedro, the MYIC science lead, has stated that a complete ice core is anticipated to extend the existing climate record beyond 1.2 million years. This data aims to address questions regarding a historical shift in the cycle of ice ages, which is expected to provide information for climate modeling and future climate predictions.
Deep drilling operations are scheduled to continue until late January, at which point activities will pause due to extreme temperatures. The project anticipates drilling to the base of the ice sheet over the next three Antarctic summer field seasons.