Researchers at the University of Manitoba have successfully retrieved a 613-metre-deep ice core from Axel Heiberg Island in Nunavut, the deepest ever pulled in Canada. The Muller Ice Core Project aims to provide a 10,000-year climatic record of the Canadian Arctic, marking a breakthrough in Arctic climate science.
Led by Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, the team employed new drilling technologies and uncovered rock samples that may reveal how long the area has been ice-covered. Scientists hope to determine the age of the ice cap and understand sea ice variability during previous warm periods.
The ice core will undergo extensive analysis at the Canadian Ice Core Laboratory at the University of Alberta, where three 70-metre cores will also be examined. Researchers from UBC will study greenhouse gases and mercury levels using air extracted from snow.
With contributions from Canada, Denmark, and Australia, the project promises long-term climate insights and better forecasting for Northern communities. The initiative, delayed by the pandemic after planning began in 2018, represents a major step forward in understanding Earth’s climate history.
Source: Swifteradio.com
