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Mont Blanc Ice Core Yields Continuous 12,000-Year Alpine Climate Record
AUVERGNE-RHÔNE-ALPES, FRANCE, JUL 16 – The ice core reveals an 8-fold increase in dust during the last Ice Age and offers a detailed climate and aerosol record spanning 12,000 years, researchers said.
- Researchers extracted a 40-meter ice core from Mont Blanc’s Dôme du Goûter glacier, marking the first Alpine core to preserve climate data through the last Ice Age, co-author Susanne Preunkert said.
- Building on the EPICA Dome C core extraction 20 years ago, which provided an 800,000-year climate record, Susanne Preunkert collected the Alpine core in 1999.
- Researchers uncovered extreme aerosol spikes during glacial periods, with dust storms eight times stronger and sea salt deposition 49-fold above Holocene levels, while calcium concentrations spiked 38-fold.
- Michel Legrand said records from cores near their sources are "often the most informative," highlighting the Alpine core’s unprecedented Mesolithic-era atmospheric chemistry record.
- Researchers will spend months interpreting the core and aim to present their first findings towards the end of next year, while planning further analysis for human history indicators.
13 Articles
13 Articles
12,000-Year-Old Ice Core From Mont Blanc Rewrites Europe’s Climate Story
High in the French Alps, scientists have uncovered a frozen archive that reaches back more than 12,000 years — the oldest known ice in Western Europe. This ancient glacier core contains a remarkably detailed record of past climates, aerosol chemistry, and even signs of early human activity. From Ice Age dust storms and shifting forests [...]
Alpine Ice Core Sample From Last Ice Age Uncovers Ancient Europe’s Forgotten Climate Crisis
Buried deep in a French glacier lies a 12,000-year record that reads like a climate thriller, one in which prehistoric Europe endured atmospheric extremes far more intense than anything recorded in modern industrial times. The post Alpine Ice Core Sample From Last Ice Age Uncovers Ancient Europe’s Forgotten Climate Crisis appeared first on Study Finds.
Science Daily
ecotopical.comFrozen for 12,000 years, this Alpine ice core captures the rise of civilization
An ancient glacier high in the French Alps has revealed the oldest known ice in Western Europe—dating back over 12,000 years to the last Ice Age. This frozen archive, meticulously analyzed by scientists, captures a complete chemical and atmospheric record spanning humanity’s transition from hunter-gatherers to modern industry. The core contains stories of erupting volcanoes, changing forests, Saharan dust storms, and even economic impacts across…
Scientists find the first ice core from the European Alps that dates back to the last Ice Age
Glaciers hold layers of history preserved in ice, offering unique insights into Earth's past that can also help us interpret the future. Trapped amidst the frozen water are microscopic deposits of dust, pollen, and even pollutants that scientists can use to examine environmental changes through time.
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