The West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide project closed out its fifth drilling season in record fashion, the chief scientist for the project is DRI’s Kendrick Taylor. Drilling concluded Jan. 28 after reaching a depth of 3,331 meters — about 2 miles — producing the deepest ice core ever drilled by United States researchers. The WAIS Divide project is investigating the last 100,000 years of Earth's climate history. The ice core fell as snow about 100,000 years ago.

"By improving our understanding of how natural changes in greenhouse gas influenced climate in the past, the science community will be able to do a better job of predicting future climate changes caused by the emissions of greenhouse gases by human activity," Taylor said. To learn more about the project and this remarkable discovery please read and or listen to National Public Radio’s feature on the project from March 4, 2011.

The National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs funds the project, primarily through its Antarctic Glaciology Program. For information, visit www.waisdivide.unh.edu.