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

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

Deep drilling beneath Antarctic ice reveals signs that the region was once an open ocean millions of years ago.

Written by Gadgets 360 Staff | Updated: 22 February 2026 21:48 IST

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

Photo Credit: Ana Tovey/SWAIS2C

Core samples from deep Antarctic drilling reveal signs of an ancient open ocean beneath the ice.

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Highlights

Ancient ocean evidence found beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet
Deep core samples reveal 23 million years of climate history
Findings may improve future sea level rise predictions

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.

Newly Discovered Tectonic Activity Is Critical for NASA’s Lunar Habitats

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.

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