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Preserving glacial ice cores in the Ice Memory Sanctuary, and how to keep your own freezer climate-friendly.
Dear Reader,
In this International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, we might have to abandon the term “glacially” as a metaphor for “slowly.” The world’s glaciers, after all, are melting pretty darn quickly, and there’s concern that they’ll entirely disappear in the next few decades. Which is why scientists from the Ice Memory Foundation have built a snow cave, the Ice Memory Sanctuary at the French-Italian Concordia Station in Antarctica, to collect and preserve ice cores before endangered glaciers are gone forever.
Within those ice cores are layers of snow and ice that have accumulated over many centuries, even millenia. And within the dust and chemicals trapped in that snow and ice is valuable information offering historical climate records for regions around the world. And it’s all at risk of vanishing.
In an effort to prevent such a loss, scientists will transport the ice cores in November to the Ice Memory Sanctuary, where they’ll be stored at a mean temperature of -58°F — a temperature that requires no energy consumption for refrigeration and ensures that the samples aren’t at risk of disruption.
If you haven’t already, check out Yo-Yo Ma’s collaboration with Patty Gonia and Christopher Preston, recorded on two dying glaciers. It sends a resounding message that we should all pay attention to.
Frigidly,
Dot
To boost your freezer’s efficiency, keep it roughly 80% full and make sure not to block the cold air vents. Cleaning the coils will help the fridge, too!
For more Bluedot Climate Quick Tips, click here.
