These discoveries strongly suggest that at least part of Antarctica\u2019s West Ice Sheet<\/a> was once covered by open water rather than a solid ice shelf. The presence of marine life is particularly significant, as these organisms require sunlight to thrive, an indication of a much warmer and different climate in this area millions of years ago. <\/p>\n \u201cSome of the sediment was typical of deposits that occur under an ice sheet like we have at Crary Ice Rise today,\u201d explained co-chief scientist Molly Patterson<\/a> from Binghamton University. \u201cBut we also saw material that\u2019s more typical of an open ocean, an ice shelf floating over ocean, or an ice-shelf margin with icebergs calving off.\u201d<\/p>\n Unfreezing the Ice Sheet\u2019s Ancient Secrets<\/p>\n The core samples from the drilling site provide crucial insights into the past 23 million years, including periods when Earth\u2019s temperatures were significantly warmer than today. As stated by Huw Horgan<\/a>, a fellow co-chief of the project from Victoria University of Wellington, the samples show evidence of times when global temperatures were more than 2\u00b0C higher than pre-industrial levels.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a great feeling when that first core came up, but then you start worrying about the next core and the next core after that. So, it\u2019s stressful right up until the end. We\u2019re thrilled to have learnt from our previous challenges and to have successfully retrieved this geological record that will help the world prepare for the impacts of climate change,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/A-close-up-of-the-drilling-process-beneath-Antarcticas-ice.png.webp.webp\")
A close-up of the drilling process beneath Antarctica\u2019s ice. Credit: Ana Tovey\/SWAIS2C<\/p>\n