Record climate researchers in Antarctica
2006/03/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria
To analyze the evolution of the climate, the ice columns extracted in Antarctica are very valuable. Several groups of scientists are taking the ice columns out of the deep, seeking to get the oldest possible samples, and lately records are being made one after another.
The last news was given by the Japanese: Japanese scientists working in Antarctica have extracted an ice column more than three kilometers deep. It is estimated that the last part is one million years old.
A few days before the news, the European scientists of the EPICA project spread a similar column. In 2004 there was also another one and, although the current one is shorter, they have regressed in time as much as with it: until about 900,000 years ago.
Perhaps the record of seniority is now for the Japanese, but that does not take away the merit of the European team. In fact, the newly emerged column corresponds to the water of the Atlantic Ocean. The former had water from the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. Therefore, the new sample will allow to compare both and maintain a complete record.
Samples will be analyzed and concluded at the time of shipment to laboratories. The objective is to analyze climate evolution and to extract lessons for the future.
