| A new discovery has recently brought many | | | | - Ice cores from previous ice drilling projects indicated |
| questions to the future of climate change with the | | | | that temperatures had risen in the Northern |
| discovery of an ancient icecore that was drilled out in | | | | Hemisphere by more than 20 degrees Fahrenheit in |
| Greenland when a team of international scientists | | | | the space of 50 years. |
| working on the North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling | | | | - This latest project to remove ice cores give a far |
| (NEEM) project hit bedrock. The team achieved this | | | | more accurate indication of past changes in |
| monumental find after a full two summers of work, | | | | temperatures and greenhouse gas concentrations |
| which involved drilling down more than 1.5 miles to try | | | | during the Eemian, giving extremely important and |
| and assess the risks of abrupt future climate change. | | | | beneficial data of climate change on Earth. |
| Some of the key implications and findings surrounding | | | | - Scientists state that the icecores will have rich DNA |
| this find include the following: | | | | and pollen which will give data on plants that were |
| - The ice core originates from the Eemian interglacial | | | | present in Greenland before it was emerged in ice. |
| period, which was from about 115,000 to 130,000 | | | | - Some parts of the ice just above the bedrock in |
| years ago. | | | | the location go beyond the Eemian interglacial period |
| - The temperatures at this time were 3.6 to 5.4 | | | | and even into the previous ice age – containing |
| degrees Fahrenheit above today's temperatures. | | | | rocks and other debris that have not seen sunlight in |
| - The Eemian period was the most recent interglacial | | | | over a hundred thousand years. |
| period on Earth. | | | | - A key part of the research project is to determine |
| - During this period there was a huge deal less ice on | | | | how much smaller the Greenland ice sheet was |
| Greenland, and in addition to this, sea levels were 15 | | | | 120,000 years ago, at which time the temperatures |
| feet or more higher than today. | | | | were much higher than present day temperatures |
| - Annual ice layers that had formed in Greenland over | | | | – which could give key findings on temperature |
| millions of years through compressed snow showed | | | | change trends. |
| interesting facts about past temperatures, | | | | With remarkable findings such as this icecore, it |
| precipitation levels and the contents of ancient | | | | shows yet again how many secrets the ice holds, for |
| atmospheres. | | | | our planet and beyond. |