Articles | Volume 17, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3461-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3461-2023
Research article
 | Highlight paper
 | 
24 Aug 2023
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 24 Aug 2023

Stagnant ice and age modelling in the Dome C region, Antarctica

Ailsa Chung, Frédéric Parrenin, Daniel Steinhage, Robert Mulvaney, Carlos Martín, Marie G. P. Cavitte, David A. Lilien, Veit Helm, Drew Taylor, Prasad Gogineni, Catherine Ritz, Massimo Frezzotti, Charles O'Neill, Heinrich Miller, Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, and Olaf Eisen

Viewed

Total article views: 2,396 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
HTML PDF XML Total Supplement BibTeX EndNote
1,868 467 61 2,396 111 56 58
  • HTML: 1,868
  • PDF: 467
  • XML: 61
  • Total: 2,396
  • Supplement: 111
  • BibTeX: 56
  • EndNote: 58
Views and downloads (calculated since 23 Feb 2023)
Cumulative views and downloads (calculated since 23 Feb 2023)

Viewed (geographical distribution)

Total article views: 2,396 (including HTML, PDF, and XML) Thereof 2,338 with geography defined and 58 with unknown origin.
Country # Views %
  • 1
1
 
 
 
 

Cited

Latest update: 08 May 2024
Co-editor-in-chief
Oldest Ice is a large project with broad interest and appealing targets. This study shows (i) that the current Beyond EPICA and Million Year Ice Core drilling projects at Little Dome C in Antarctica are expected to extract continuous ice core of almost 1.5 million years; and (ii) estimates the spatial extent of a stagnant ice layer in the Dome C region. This layer of ice could be millions of years old and could have large scale implications for the whole Antarctic ice sheet dynamics.
Short summary
We combined a numerical model with radar measurements in order to determine the age of ice in the Dome C region of Antarctica. Our results show that at the current ice core drilling sites on Little Dome C, the maximum age of the ice is almost 1.5 Ma. We also highlight a new potential drill site called North Patch with ice up to 2 Ma. Finally, we explore the nature of a stagnant ice layer at the base of the ice sheet which has been independently observed and modelled but is not well understood.