We Found Life
Until the 2000s, it seemed impossible that anything could be alive deep inside glacial ice. But researchers believe they have found microbial organisms that can put themselves into stasis and still photosynthesize in ice, relying on light so limited and diffuse that humans can't see it.
Layered Lesson
The ice helps us see changes in climate over time. As summer meltwater gathers on the surface of a glacier, the water filters through the porous snow and freezes, forming distinct layers of ice among layers of compacted snow. Scientists will compare the ancient U of A ice cores to newer samples. At shallower depths, these ice layers are thicker, meaning recent summer temperatures have been warmer for longer than in the past.
Layers 80,000 Years Old
Totalling more than 1.7 kilometres in length, the glacial ice cores are long, cylindrical ice samples that were drilled in Nunavut and Yukon territories between 1970 and 2005, collected by Natural Resources Canada and stored in Ottawa. The oldest layers were deposited 80,000 years ago.
The Frozen Grail
Glaciologists hope to someday recover million-year-old ice from Antarctica.
Secrets From the Past
The team's research from the ice cores will put the university at the heart of an emerging field, revealing secrets about the history of our climate and atmosphere.
A History of Fire
Researchers can use the ice to tell when volcanoes erupted. Because the acidity of ice is higher in layers that accumulated when there were active volcanoes, researchers can match these layers to known historical eruptions and date the ice cores more accurately.
Dirt From Abroad
Ice cores pinpoint the history of pollutants. Contaminants that once circulated in the atmosphere have condensed onto alpine glaciers, and as the ice melts, they run into our waterways. Sharp's team might might be able to determine whether some of Alberta's water pollution originates in Asian factories, rather than local industry.
Ice That Keeps on Giving
Because the ice is a diminishing resource, the data sets derived will be digitized and available to researchers for decades.
Smaller is Better
New technology allows researchers to use smaller samples at finer resolutions so they can unlock more secrets from the ice.
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