Antarctic rocks help uncover clues about sea level changes

A collaborative project, including Northumbria University and the University of Edinburgh, will see researchers use sensor technology and chemical analysis to investigate how these half-a-million-year-old rocks made it to the surface of the ice sheet.

Their findings will indicate whether the ice sheet melted at the warmest point between the two most recent global ice ages, some 120,000 years ago, when sea levels rose by up to six metres. Melting ice would have exposed the rocks to more cosmic radiation than if they had remained embedded in the ice sheet, where they are now.

The research, led by the University of Edinburgh, will shed light on whether the ice sheet played a role in rising sea levels between the ice ages.

Understanding how the West Antarctic ice sheet behaved between ice ages will enable scientists to improve their models of past climates. This in turn enables more accurate predictions of how sea levels will change as climates continue to warm.

Dr John Woodward, from Northumbria’s School of the Built and Natural Environment, will use a radar system to image the inside and bed of the ice sheet to trace the flow patterns of the rocks as they move towards the ice sheet surface, before their exposure to the cosmic radiation.

His colleague, Dr Stuart Dunning, will use remote controlled drone aircraft to photograph the mountain ranges where the rocks emerge. These photographs will produce 3D models of the ice/rock surfaces. Detailed 3D maps will then be made to locate critical samples using state-of-the-art laser systems.

Dr Woodward, who is returning to Antarctica for the fifth time to conduct this research said: “It is a real privilege to work in such remote, hostile and beautiful environments. I think it is fair to say this is one of the most critical projects I have been involved with in the Polar Regions – understanding the history of ice sheet change in Antarctica will, we hope, reveal the future of this continent, and help us predict future changes in sea level.”

Dr Dunning added: “The challenges of mapping the unknown and unvisited mountains of Antarctica are immense. The technology we have developed at Northumbria will be critical to delivering successful images for use in understanding this vast continent.’

The three-year study will be funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and will be carried out in collaboration with the Universities of Northumbria and Exeter, Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, the University of Cologne, and the British Antarctic Survey.

Dr David Sugden of the University of Edinburgh’s School of GeoSciences, who will lead the research, said: “Studying these half-a-million-year-old rocks will help us discover whether they have always been where they are now – stuck in the ice sheet – or if the ice sheet melted in warmer climates. This will help us predict whether we are heading for major sea level rises in the next century or so, as we head toward warmer climates.”