Ice Drilling

Frank Wilhelms at work with an ice core

The unique climate record in ice cores is used to examine the processes in the atmosphere and past changes within the climate by analyzing the chemical composition and physical properties of ice and enclosed air. In particular attention is given to the effects of carbon dioxide and methane. The results are used to revise and further develop computer models to predict future climate trends.

The Alfred-Wegener-Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) is coordinating ice core drillings within international cooperations. It is operating several stations in the Polar Regions and has the necessary infrastructure, including a core repository. The most recent ice core drillings have taken place in North Greenland as a part of the project “North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling” (NEEM). Also modern ice core drilling procedures are presented.

Contact: Prof. Dr. F. Wilhelms

Already 1952 Dansgaard demonstrated that glaciers store information, for example information about precipitation and temperature.

Since then, glaciers are used as an outstanding source of information on climate and the composition of the atmosphere in the past.