Australian Antarctic Division’s ambitious million year ice core project postponed due to Covid

One of the most important and ambitious polar science missions undertaken by the Australian Antarctic Division has been postponed for the summer. Find out why.

Drilling at camp for million year ice core project. Picture: Supplied/Sharon Labudda

A crucial and groundbreaking polar science mission, which could unlock secrets beyond the ice ages, has been delayed because of illnesses and weather.

The Australian Antarctic Division announced they will postpone the Million Year Ice Core project for the 2023-24 summer season, citing “Covid impacts” as the reason.

“The remoteness and the conditions of Antarctica or the ‘A factor’ as we call it, require us to constantly adjust our planning,” AAD head Emma Campbell said.

“Unfortunately on this occasion the combination of challenges mean that, for the safety of our people, we need to pause drilling until next year.

“The safety of our people will always come first.”

Australian Antarctic Division project leader Dr Mark Curran and chief scientist Dr Nick Gales with an ice-core section drilled from Antarctica at the Australian Antarctic Division headquarters in Kingston, near Hobart, Thursday, May 8, 2014. (AAP Image/David Beniuk).

The Million Year Ice Core project could hold the key to answering questions about climate change and how it affects the world.

In the 2022-23 season, expeditioners ventured out on a 1200km journey from Casey Research Station to Little Dome C.

There, they collected the first 200 years of core.

But it will take four to five years of drilling to reach the base of the ice sheet.

The million-year-old ice core is located a few hundred metres above bedrock.

While expeditioners expect to drill the ice core in about 2027, the summer postponement may introduce more delays to the project’s timeline.

“Thank you to our people who have worked so hard to prepare this project, and then reconfigure and replan in the face of adversity,” Ms Campbell said.

“We are looking forward to resuming the project in full next year.”

The Mercury has reached out to the AAD for further comment.