Core Values

As you probably have realized by now, Summit Camp, despite it's remoteness, is the site of many different types of scientific research. Atmospheric chemistry, surface albedo (reflectance), clouds... all topics that need much work. However, Summit wasn't always home to such diverse research. In it's early years, Summit station was used solely for ice core research.

Every morning, afternoon, and evening, when I'm on my to and from Sat Camp, I pass a standing reminder of Summit's core past: the drill site for the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 (GISP2).


Ok. So maybe it just looks like an unimpressive rusty pipe covered in tarps. But to a science geek such as myself, it. Is. AWESOME!

Drilling of the GISP2 core took place over a period of 3-4 years, ending in 1993. The end product was a 3,053m long tube of ice who's bottom was over 100,000 years old. In each layer was preserved isotopes and ions that held information about past conditions (for example, core variations in oxygen isotopes can tell us about past variation in temperature) as well as bubbles containing air of the ancient atmosphere. This air allowed for the creation a timeline of the concentration of several atmospheric gases, included greenhouse gases such as CO2, that extended millenia into the past. And to think all this extremely valuable and cool information came from a hole I walk by several times a day. Amazing! FYI: The pipe that's sticking up is actually the "ciba", a fiberglass casing that extends ~90m into the fern (not quite packed (dense) enough to be ice but not loose enough to be snow) that's in place to keep the drilling fluid from leaching out in the looser upper layers of the snow.

Drilling still goes on today and is in fact occurring at Summit while I'm up here. Today I caught some shots of one of the core projects going on. The site is located just 300 ft Southeast of the tomato:

This core will only extend about 90m below surface so it won't include glacial ice. The core is for a scientist at the Desert Research Institute who will be examining the core for all sorts of chemistry: trace metals, black carbon, ions; the gamut of species.

The core is brought up in 1m chunks, measured and bagged. A very simple process if everything is working smoothly and it's not terribly cold out. Today both failed for the drillers today; on top of it being ~-15degC (10degF) with 18kn (~17mph) winds, the drill cable fell off the wheel calling for some quick action so as to not lose the drill. Fortunately by the time I got out there, the drill was fixed, though it was still chilly and windy.

Here's some shots I snagged of the process:

Terry waiting for the drill


Marie grabbing the core

The team pushing out the core

Zach measuring the core in a clean suit.


Zach looking cool with the packed core

And then they repeat that, 89 times. It may not sound or look like a lot but this core will end up taking them 3-4 days to get. That's a lot of time outside in the cold!

Speaking of cold, it's a balmy 13degF, with 22kn (~20mph) and thus a -7degF windchill right now. It's going to be a noisy and chilly night for sleeping that's for sure!