Vostok Core

RUSSIA'S VOSTOK STATION is located in east Antarctica. Vostok Station holds the record for lowest temperature ever recorded at minus 129 degrees F (minus 89 degrees C). Soviet researchers began deep drilling at the Vostok Station in 1980. The ice cores brought to the surface in segments provide information (chemistry, structure, inclusions) about climate conditions similar to tree ring samples. The information from air bubbles allows for measurement of the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen, helium, sodium, and organic carbon). Besides presenting an extraordinary human effort spanning two decades in one of the most inhospitable places on earth, the drilling at Vostok has produced one of the richest scientific treasure troves of all time. Previously, analysis revealed tracking between carbon dioxide ...