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Environment

Antarctic teams drill oldest ice cores yet in search of climate clues

Ice cores that record 1.2 million years of Earth’s atmosphere are on their way to Europe to be analysed, and an Australian drilling team is hoping to go even further back in time

By James Woodford

14 April 2025

The camp at Dome C on the East Antarctic plateau where the Beyond EPICA team are drilling ice cores

Rob Mulvaney

More than a century ago, explorers from several countries raced to reach the globe’s southernmost point, driven by fierce international rivalries. Now, a new race is under way in Antarctica, this time motivated by the need to understand one of the gravest threats facing humanity.

While other ancient climate records exist, only the ancient ice near the poles holds a perfect record of the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide levels and temperature.

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