An ice core is a vertical column through a glacier, sampling the layers that formed through an annual cycle of snowfall … See more

Ice cores are collected by cutting around a cylinder of ice in a way that enables it to be brought to the surface. Early cores were often collected with hand augers and they are still used for short holes. A design for ice core au… See more

With some variation between projects, the following steps must occur between drilling and final storage of the ice core.
The drill removes an annulus of ice around the core but does not cut under it. A spring-loaded leve… See more

Many different kinds of analysis are performed on ice cores, including visual layer counting, tests for electrical conductivity and physical properties, and assays for inclusion of gases, particles, radionuclides, … See more

In 1841 and 1842, Louis Agassiz drilled holes in the Unteraargletscher in the Alps; these were drilled with iron rods and did not produce cores. The deepest hole achieved was 60 m. On Erich von Drygalski's Antarctic e… See more

IPICS (International Partnerships in Ice Core Sciences) has produced a series of white papers outlining future challenges and scientific goals for the ice core science community. These include plans to:
• Retrieve … See more