Today's post focus on how ice cores are drilled, useful to know if you plan to be part of a scientific expedition at the poles!
You should watch this video:
Drilling an ice core may sound like a really complicated process but don’t worry, I made it simple for you to understand.
First, you need expensive materials
Generator because without power you won’t be able to drill anything.
Drill barrel: elongated and fluted pipes used to drill the ice. Use of 2 different types of drill must depend on the temperature of the ice: mechanical drills are used under -10°C and thermal ones above -10°C.
Cutter head: it has knives for mechanical drills, but not for thermal drills.
Chainsaw to cut the trench.
Big tent to protect the material during bad weather conditions (blowing snow etc...).
Follow these steps and you will be fine!
1 - Attach the head to the main body of the drill barrel.
2 - Then make a big hole on the ice surface or if you prefer calling it a "trench".
3 - Connect the drill pipe to the generator that must be placed just beside the trench.
4 - The drill barrel is rotated and will be vertical when cutting the core.
5 - Don't forget the tent to be safe! 6 - When starting to drill, the head is going to incise a circle around the ice to be cored until the drill pipe is filled with ice.
7- Rotate back the drill horizontally so it is easier for you to extract the ice core by removing the head.
8- Now you can analyse it, enjoy!
Don't try to remember all this complicated vocabulary. Just look at this image to see how the drill pipe is rotated and why a trench is undeniably linked to this.
Once extracted, the ice core is analysed in a laboratory and useful information of past climates can be found, and predictions can be made for the future Climate Changes. Next post will focus more on how ice cores are analysed in laboratories.
So watch the space!
Commenti