Record-Breaking Drill Beneath Antarctic Ice Reveals Ancient Open Ocean and Future Sea Level Risks

An unprecedented drilling project on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet has revealed surprising evidence that large parts of the region may have once been open ocean, millions of years ago. Researchers dug deep through thick ice and millennia of ancient sediment to get a powerful climate record centred beneath the frozen surface. The ice sheet contains enough water to lift global sea levels four or five metres. By learning more about what it did in the past, researchers want to get a sense of how quickly it may melt in today's warming climate

Deep Drilling at Crary Ice Rise Uncovers Marine Remains Suggesting Ancient Open Ocean Conditions

According to a report released Wednesday by an international team of 29 researchers, the researchers bored through 523 metres of ice and 228 metres of rock and mud at Crary Ice Rise by the Ross Ice Shelf.

They discovered sediments typical of what is left behind by an ice sheet, but also shell fragments and remains of marine organisms that require sunlight. This indicates that the area was formerly open ocean or covered by a floating ice shelf.

Core Samples Spanning 23 Million Years to Help Predict Future Ice Sheet Melting and Sea Level Rise

The core samples may cover nearly 23 million years, including warmer periods when global temperatures were much higher than today. Scientists said such past conditions can show what ocean heat and climate changes did to the ice sheet.

The samples have been moved over 1,100 kilometres to Scott Base and will be sent to New Zealand for study to better estimate future melting and sea level rise.