Research & Development World

  • R&D World Home
  • Topics
    • Aerospace
    • Automotive
    • Biotech
    • Careers
    • Chemistry
    • Environment
    • Energy
    • Life Science
    • Material Science
    • R&D Management
    • Physics
  • Technology
    • 3D Printing
    • A.I./Robotics
    • Software
    • Battery Technology
    • Controlled Environments
      • Cleanrooms
      • Graphene
      • Lasers
      • Regulations/Standards
      • Sensors
    • Imaging
    • Nanotechnology
    • Scientific Computing
      • Big Data
      • HPC/Supercomputing
      • Informatics
      • Security
    • Semiconductors
  • R&D Market Pulse
  • R&D 100
    • Call for Nominations: The 2025 R&D 100 Awards
    • R&D 100 Awards Event
    • R&D 100 Submissions
    • Winner Archive
    • Explore the 2024 R&D 100 award winners and finalists
  • Resources
    • Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • R&D Index
    • Subscribe
    • Video
    • Webinars
  • Global Funding Forecast
  • Top Labs
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE

Deep core complete: WAIS Divide project finishes 5-year effort

By R&D Editors | February 11, 2011

WAIS-Divide-250

Soil contributes in a wide variety of ways to the stability of society. Climate change and population growth will affect soil’s health and its ability to support Earth’s many inhabitants.

The U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP)
has drilled and recovered a 3,331-meter long ice core from the West
Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) in area called the WAIS Divide, a high point
on the ice sheet where the ice begins to flow in different directions.

It
took five years working from a lonely field camp in one of the
stormiest regions of the West Antarctic to extract the ice, which
contains clues about Earth’s past climate from the last 100,000 years,
which covers the most recent glacial period, when the Earth was cooler
and large ice sheets covered the northern and southern hemispheres.
Concentrations of the main greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) were much
lower than today’s high of 390 parts per million.  Climate scientists
are particularly excited about the WAIS Divide ice core because it
promises to offer a particularly “high-resolution” record of the past
40,000 years, with thick annual layers akin to tree rings.

The
National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that
supports fundamental research and education across all fields of
science and engineering. In fiscal year (FY) 2010, its budget is about
$6.9 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly
2,000 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives over 45,000
competitive requests for funding, and makes over 11,500 new funding
awards. NSF also awards over $400 million in professional and service
contracts yearly.

To learn more about the WAIS Divide project and ice-core drilling, read Deep core complete:  WAIS Divide project finishes five-year effort to retrieve 3,331 meters of ice in the Antarctic Sun, the U.S. Antarctic Program’s online magazine.

Original article

Related Articles Read More >

Floating solar mats clean polluted water — and generate power
New AI model offers faster, adaptive CO₂ retrieval from satellite data
8 major R&D moves this week: Samsung invests record $24B while Porsche cuts 3,900 jobs
Ex-Google AI team launches “Generation,” an AI-driven fragrance venture
rd newsletter
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest info on technologies, trends, and strategies in Research & Development.
RD 25 Power Index

R&D World Digital Issues

Fall 2024 issue

Browse the most current issue of R&D World and back issues in an easy to use high quality format. Clip, share and download with the leading R&D magazine today.

Research & Development World
  • Subscribe to R&D World Magazine
  • Enews Sign Up
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Drug Discovery & Development
  • Pharmaceutical Processing
  • Global Funding Forecast

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search R&D World

  • R&D World Home
  • Topics
    • Aerospace
    • Automotive
    • Biotech
    • Careers
    • Chemistry
    • Environment
    • Energy
    • Life Science
    • Material Science
    • R&D Management
    • Physics
  • Technology
    • 3D Printing
    • A.I./Robotics
    • Software
    • Battery Technology
    • Controlled Environments
      • Cleanrooms
      • Graphene
      • Lasers
      • Regulations/Standards
      • Sensors
    • Imaging
    • Nanotechnology
    • Scientific Computing
      • Big Data
      • HPC/Supercomputing
      • Informatics
      • Security
    • Semiconductors
  • R&D Market Pulse
  • R&D 100
    • Call for Nominations: The 2025 R&D 100 Awards
    • R&D 100 Awards Event
    • R&D 100 Submissions
    • Winner Archive
    • Explore the 2024 R&D 100 award winners and finalists
  • Resources
    • Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • R&D Index
    • Subscribe
    • Video
    • Webinars
  • Global Funding Forecast
  • Top Labs
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE