Welcome!

We are embarking on an expedition to drill an ice core and extract air on Müller Ice Cap, Axel Heiberg Island, Nunavut.

This project has been many years in the making. We looked for an ice cap in Canada that could have a long climate record, maybe till the last glacial maximum. Once our eyes were set on Müller, we had a geophysical site survey to figure out how thick the ice was on the ice cap. We had a meteorological survey to learn about the climate conditions locally. Does it get warm enough to melt the snow in summer? How much snow falls every year? Analyzing all these data helped us find the perfect spot, and also the perfect time to drill the ice: April and May, when it’s still relatively cold, rather than June and July, where melt is likely. See, in the ice core community, we really don’t like it above -10°C…

Preparing the expedition is a big logistical endeavour. Several laboratories around the world contribute gear, many things need to be purchased and shipped, people need to be hired… And now we are here, it is happening, we are going to the field!

On this blog, you’ll follow the adventures of Popi and Bluee. Popi has been on the ice before, but it’s Bluee’s first time.