The oldest ice ever extracted from Antarctica is on its way to Europe, marking a major milestone in climate science.
The oldest ice ever extracted from Antarctica is on its way to Europe, marking a major milestone in climate science. The ice cores, obtained through the Beyond EPICA – Oldest Ice project, are currently being transported aboard the research vessel Laura Bassi.
Funded by the European Commission and coordinated by the Institute of Polar Sciences of the National Research Council of Italy (Cnr-Isp), the project aims to unlock crucial insights into Earth’s past climate and atmospheric conditions dating back over 1.2 million years.
The ice cores were retrieved from Little Dome C, Antarctica, during the fourth drilling campaign of the international Beyond EPICA project. Over a three-month period, a team of scientists and logistical experts from twelve research institutions across ten European nations worked in extreme conditions—3,200 meters above sea level with an average summer temperature of -35°C. Their efforts culminated in drilling to a depth of 2,800 meters, reaching the Antarctic ice sheet’s bedrock.
Read more at: British Antarctic Survey
The 2025 field season team. (Photo Credit: PNRA_IPEV)
