by Mike Savage
The Greenland Ice Sheet Program (GISP 2) culminated in 1993 when the last section of an ice core that penetrated through the full depth of the Ice Sheet was extracted. I was privileged to be there, working for Ken Taylor of the Desert Research Institute and assisting in the analysis of the core.
Drill Dome at GISP 2 Camp
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A 3000 meter ice core was extracted from the Greenland Ice Sheet using this specialized drilling rig |
In the early 1990's, scientists established a drilling camp at the apex of the Greenland Ice Sheet, with the goal of extracting an ice core through the complete depth of the of the ice, more than 3000 meters. Several summer drilling seasons culminated in 1993 when the drill struck bedrock at the bottom of the ice, completing the extraction of the world's longest continuous ice core record for climate studies.
Analysis of the data revealed the unexpected volatility of past climate changes. Prior to this analysis, the consensus among climate scientists favored a theory of gradual transistion between climatic regimes. But the Greenland core data showed clear evidence of abrupt climate shifts taking place over only a few years rather than decades. The implications for climate change during the present are worrisome.
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