Melting World’s Oldest Ice

The world’s oldest ice made many scientists in the UK eager to study. The ice from East Antarctica was predicted to be 1.2 million years old. A small amount of ice was shipped to the UK so scientists could melt it to learn more about the Earth.

Scientists think they can learn about the Earth’s climate change from the past few years. This information can also help scientists know the pattern of how the Earth is changing. Since the ice is really old, there are layers between the layers of ice. The layers both include cloudy ice and clear ice. This means When the ice is cloudy, this means the water that formed the ice is mixed with few air bubbles inside. This creates a pattern of climate change around the world over time. Scientists will melt the ice to teachers about the things that are stuck inside the ice over the years. There might be ashes from volcanoes or animal fossils stuck inside from the past few years.

The pattern inside the ice will be helpful for scientists to prepare for the future Earth. These leftovers can even be helpful for the scientists to know the sea water level in the ocean of Antarctica. Scientists think the water level can help see how the climate changes now and then. Some layers could be clear, foggy, or even dirty.

The team drilled 1.7 mile long ice from Antarctica. The ice was chopped into smaller pieces so it was easier to ship between places like England, Germany and Switzerland. Much ice has air bubbles stuck inside the block of ice.

The layers inside the ice can tell scientists what they will use to help predict the future of the Earth’s climate.