Loading...
Loading...
Wearing a thick orange puffer jacket, the researcher stepped into a freezer at Hokkaido University, where ice samples from Central Asia are being analysed as part of an ambitious international scientific effort.
The ice core was drilled from a mountaintop in Tajikistan, home to one of the world’s rare glacier systems that has resisted rapid melting. While glaciers across the globe are shrinking, those in the Pamir Mountains have remained stable — and in some cases even grown — a phenomenon known as the Pamir-Karakoram anomaly.
Researchers believe that understanding the mechanisms behind this unusual ice growth could help inform efforts to protect glaciers elsewhere, although they caution that such outcomes remain uncertain. Still, the study offers hope that scientific insight may contribute to broader climate solutions.
According to a recent study published in Nature Climate Change, thousands of glaciers are expected to disappear each year in the coming decades unless global warming is significantly reduced, leaving only a small fraction intact by the end of the century.
Earlier this year, an international team of scientists as they braved extreme conditions to reach an altitude of 5,810 metres on the Kon-Chukurbashi ice cap, where two ice columns measuring about 105 metres were drilled from the glacier.
One of the ice cores has been stored in an underground sanctuary in Antarctica operated by the Ice Memory Foundation, while the second was transported to Sapporo for detailed analysis at the Institute of Low Temperature Science.
Scientists are examining why precipitation in the region increased over the past century and how the glacier managed to resist melting. Possible explanations include the area’s persistently cold climate or increased agricultural water use in neighbouring regions, which may have raised atmospheric moisture levels.
Ice layers preserve valuable records of past climate conditions, including temperature changes, snowfall patterns, volcanic activity and atmospheric composition — sometimes spanning thousands of years.
Clear ice layers point to periods of melting followed by refreezing, while low-density layers suggest compacted snow and help estimate historical precipitation levels. Volcanic particles act as time markers, and water isotopes reveal temperature variations over time.
Researchers hope the samples contain ice dating back more than 10,000 years, despite significant melting during a warmer period around 6,000 years ago.
Each ice core is considered a rare and irreplaceable scientific record. From a single sample, teams conduct a wide range of chemical and physical analyses to reconstruct past climate conditions with precision.
Initial findings are expected to be published next year, although the work involves extensive trial and error. Future research could also explore how historical mining activity affected air quality, temperature and precipitation in the region.
With one set of ice cores preserved in Antarctica and another under analysis in Japan, scientists believe the samples will continue to provide valuable insights for years to come.
By studying how the Earth’s environment has changed in response to natural processes and human activity, researchers hope to deepen understanding of climate dynamics — a task they describe as both challenging and “extremely exciting.”
For an optimal experience, please
rotate your device to portrait mode.
