Scientists Store Ice Cores From Endangered Glaciers In Antarctic Snow Vault
A project near Concordia Research Station is preserving ice cylinders drilled from mountain glaciers. The cores hold atmospheric records that researchers say are disappearing as glaciers retreat.
sciencealert.comTeams have drilled and transported ice cores from ten glaciers to a vault carved into Antarctic snow near Concordia Research Station. The site sits more than 3,000 meters above sea level and maintains a constant temperature of minus 52 degrees Celsius without mechanical refrigeration.
The Ice Memory Foundation leads the effort. Its president said the goal is to keep climate data from glaciers that are retreating at an accelerating rate. Cores already collected come from the Alps, the Andes, and the Pamir Mountains.
Before drilling, researchers use ground-penetrating radar to locate stable ice layers. A cylindrical drill then extracts vertical cores that can reach depths containing air bubbles formed hundreds of thousands of years ago. Transporting the cores requires expeditions to high-altitude sites.
One recent campaign in Tajikistan took place at 5,820 meters above sea level. The cores are kept frozen during transit and placed in insulated containers once inside the vault.
Air bubbles trapped in the ice contain samples of past atmospheres. Analysis of the bubbles has shown current carbon dioxide levels are 30 to 35 percent higher than at any point in the last 800,000 years, according to the foundation president. A 2025 study cited in the reporting projects that up to 4,000 glaciers could disappear each year by mid-century if current emission trends continue.
The vault is intended to keep the records accessible for future analysis even after the original glaciers are gone.
