Overview
- Researchers drilled through 523 meters of ice at Crary Ice Rise on the Ross Ice Shelf to extract a 228-meter sediment core, the longest ever retrieved from beneath an ice sheet.
- Field checks identified light-dependent microfossils and shell fragments that provide direct evidence of open-ocean conditions at a site now covered by thick ice.
- Preliminary in-field dating suggests the sequence spans roughly 23 million years, including intervals warmer than 2°C above pre‑industrial levels, pending lab confirmation.
- The 29‑member SWAIS2C team completed the season on its third attempt, operating a hot‑water and riser‑supported drill around the clock at a remote camp more than 700 kilometers from the nearest station.
- The cores have been transported about 1,100 kilometers to Scott Base and are being distributed to New Zealand and partner laboratories to refine ages and improve ice‑sheet and sea‑level projections, including risks tied to a potential 4–5 meter rise.