Abstract
AbstractWe report on the EPICA Dronning Maud Land (East Antarctica) deep drilling operation. Starting with the scientific questions that led to the outline of the EPICA project, we introduce the setting of sister drillings at NorthGRIP and EPICA Dome C within the European ice-coring community. The progress of the drilling operation is described within the context of three parallel, deep-drilling operations, the problems that occurred and the solutions we developed. Modified procedures are described, such as the monitoring of penetration rate via cable weight rather than motor torque, and modifications to the system (e.g. closing the openings at the lower end of the outer barrel to reduce the risk of immersing the drill in highly concentrated chip suspension). Parameters of the drilling (e.g. core-break force, cutter pitch, chips balance, liquid level, core production rate and piece number) are discussed. We also review the operational mode, particularly in the context of achieved core length and piece length, which have to be optimized for drilling efficiency and core quality respectively. We conclude with recommendations addressing the design of the chip-collection openings and strictly limiting the cable-load drop with respect to the load at the start of the run.
Highlights
The European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (EPICA) acquired two deep ice-core records from East Antarctica
After the great success of the Greenland Ice Core Project (GRIP) (GRIP members, 1993), the European ice-core research community met for a scoping workshop (14– 18 September 1993) at Aghia Pelagia, Crete, which was funded by the European Science Foundation (ESF)
Every deep-drilling operation has its own advantages and limitations, and we were able to carry out some aspects more efficiently than colleagues involved in earlier drilling operations with similar equipment
Summary
The European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (EPICA) acquired two deep ice-core records from East Antarctica. The DML core provides a high-resolution record of South Atlantic climate history and complements the Greenlandic ice-core records, allowing a common interpretation of global ocean circulation and that circulation’s influence on surface water temperature in the North and South Atlantic region (EPICA Community Members, 2006). We touch briefly on the history of the EPICA project before focusing on the drilling operational mode and its effect on EPICA-DML (EDML) core quality and core retrieval efficiency. The EPICA project has led to more than 250 publications; for a recent compilation that includes these EPICA publications, among other scientific outcomes, the reader is referred to the joint Climate of the Past–The Cryosphere special issue Climate of the Past Wilhelms and others: The EDML deep drilling operation overview of ice-core projects during the past 50 years. The scientific data archive for the EPICA project may be found at http://www.pangaea.de/search?q=project:epica
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