Why ice core research matters

Recovered from ancient depths of the polar ice sheets, ice cores provide the most direct and consistent records of our atmosphere over the past million years.

Inside the New Zealand Ice Core Research Facility, scientists like Dr Holly Winton from the Te Puna Pātiotio—Antarctic Research Centre at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington analyse ice core samples to understand how and why the climate changed in the past, to better predict our future.

The video features footage from Antarctica, and Dr Winton explains her research among the ice cores at the Research Facility run jointly by GNS Science and the University.

The research is a contribution to the Roosevelt Island Climate Evolution (RICE) Program, funded by the Rutherford Foundation with national contributions from New Zealand, Australia, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the People’s Republic of China, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The main logistic support was provided by Antarctica New Zealand (K049) and the US Antarctic Program.