In a secret U.S. base, scientists discovered a “treasure” forgotten in a freezer since the 1960s, which may reveal ancient secrets of the planet.
According to Science, a research team from the U.S., Belgium, and Denmark, led by Dr. Andrew J. Christ from the University of Vermont, examined an ancient ice core extracted from a depth of 1,390 meters beneath the surface of Northwest Greenland.
“Treasure” from the secret base Camp Century – (Photo: UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT).
This core was retrieved by scientists from Camp Century, a secret military base operated by the U.S. in the 1960s.
However, this nearly 4-meter-long core had been lost from the freezer for decades and was unexpectedly found again in 2017.
The scientists decided to use modern techniques for detailed analysis and were astonished to discover that it contained not only sediments but also leaves and moss, completely overturning the long-held belief that Greenland has been an impenetrable ice fortress for 2.5 million years.
The presence of leaves and moss indicates that a lush forest once existed there, meaning that part of Greenland was once entirely ice-free.
Evidence from the sediment layer suggests that the ice-free period lasted from 416,000 to 400,000 years ago, as revealed by optical dating techniques, which help determine the precise time the sediment layer was exposed to sunlight.
A green, vibrant Greenland filled with flora and fauna is bad news for the rest of the world, as it suggests a much warmer climate that could lead to sea levels rising 1.5 to 6 meters higher than today, a figure sufficient to submerge numerous cities and even parts of modern nations.
The dating and characteristics of this ice-free period also indicate that it could very well happen again if climate change were to reach a certain threshold, a scenario that could be triggered by human-induced environmental destruction.
Climate scientist Joseph MacGregor from NASA, who did not participate in this research but shares similar concerns, noted that we are currently in a dangerous zone because we have created greenhouse gas concentrations higher than those during the ice-free period.
Currently, the level of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is as high as 420 ppm, compared to just 280 ppm 400,000 years ago.
