In the last interglacial period, ~125,000 years ago, global temperatures were 1–1.5°C warmer than pre-industrial times, similar to the temperatures we're tracking towards in our very near future if we don't curb greenhouse gas emissions. Global sea level may have been 6–9 metres (20–30 feet) higher due to Greenland and Antarctic ice sheet melt.
We know we must adapt to at least 30 cm (12 inches) of sea level rise over the coming decades, but we must also plan for a range of possible futures with the potential for significantly higher values. SWAIS2C researchers and the drilling machines will help us ‘see’ those possible futures.
The United Nations Paris Agreement sets a target to limit global warming to 1.5°C, and well below 2°C. But will this save the Ross Ice Shelf and limit Antarctic ice sheet melt? This is the key question that SWAIS2C aims to answer.
To do so, we need geological records from the centre of West Antarctica. This will help scientists better project the amount of future sea-level rise to expect in our warming climate.
SWAIS2C researchers, engineers, and drillers will recover key environmental information from the ice and sediment at two different sites on the Ross Ice Shelf.
No one has ever drilled deep into the Antarctic seabed at a location so far from a major base and so close to the centre of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. At Kamb Ice Stream, we will drill through a slab of floating ice nearly 600 metres (1,970 feet) thick.
Underneath this ice is sea, but we will keep on drilling until we reach the seafloor to see what the sediment we find there can tell us.
At the second site, Crary Ice Rise, the ice sits directly on the seafloor and is more than 500 metres (1,640 feet) thick. Here we will drill through both ice and the Antarctic continent itself to recover sediment cores.
Drilling at these different sites allows us to compare how the ice shelf behaves in different temperatures.
The resulting geological records will help reveal how sensitive the Ross Ice Shelf and West Antarctic Ice Sheet are to past warming similar to the 1.5 to 2°C (2.7° to 3.5°F) target set in the Paris Agreement.
Our first scientific expedition of discovery took place over the summer of 2023/2024 at the Kamb Ice Stream Camp (KIS3). You can read daily reports from the camp here.
We are currently preparing for a second season at KIS3, with the team scheduled to depart in November 2024.
Our mission to deliver globally important science has been a roller coaster of highs and lows over the past few days.
Happy Holidays and Merry KIS-mas, from the SWAIS2C on-ice team at KIS3 on the Ross Ice Shelf!
After the night of ‘open hole’ science, it was time to move the ‘big rig’ into place – our AIDD (Antarctic Intermediate Depth Drill).
We have a full house at ‘Tent City’!
In the early hours of the morning, our team of hot water drillers successfully melted their way through 587.
Big changes are afoot at KIS3. We are making great progress with our hot water drilling, so it’s time for some of the teams to move into 24-hour operations.
We have a great team spirit here at KIS3, and everyone pitches in to make the camp run smoothly, whether that is helping out with the dishes and sweeping the…
Our science and AIDD (Antarctic Intermediate Depth Drill) teams had a productive hands-on session today.
The hot water drillers have begun to melt the main borehole.
While our hot water drillers are busy getting our hole through the ice shelf underway, our AIDD (Antarctic Intermediate Depth Drill) team have also been hard at work with our…
The last members of our on-ice team have arrived in Antarctica, and have taken part in Antarctic Field Training (AFT) to learn essential skills required for life at our deep-field…