--- title: "Scientists Just Drilled All the Way Through Antarctica’s Ice" description: "A team of scientists successfully drilled a hole more than a mile long all the way through Antarctica's ice and into the sediment below." date: "2019-01-25" modified: "2019-01-25" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/antarcticas-ice-drilled" categories: - "Climate Change" - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "Antarctica" - "climate change" - "sea level" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Just Drilled All the Way Through Antarctica’s Ice ![A team of scientists successfully drilled a hole, more than a mile in length, that went all the way through Antarctica's ice.]() *\Image: BEAMISH\* ## Ice Ice Baby A team of scientists successfully drilled a hole more than a mile deep through Antarctica's ice and into the sediment below — an accomplishment they say could lead to a better understanding of the future of sea levels in the face of climate change. "I have waited for this moment for a long time and am delighted that we've finally achieved our goal," lead scientist Andy Smith said in [a statement](). "There are gaps in our knowledge of what's happening in West Antarctica and by studying the area where the ice sits on soft sediment we can understand better how this region may change in the future and contribute to global sea-level rise." ## Hot Water The team used hot water to carve a narrow, record-setting hole two kilometers (1.2 miles) long through Antarctica's ice. They worked in conditions that they said dropped to -30 degrees Celsius (-22 degrees Fahrenheit.) The drilling project, called BEAMISH, has been in the works for 20 years. A previous attempt, in 2004, was unsuccessful. ## Helter Melter The researchers hope that by studying the sediment under the ancient **A**ntarctic ice, they'll be able to better predict how climate change will cause the frozen continent to melt — and how much the melting ice will affect global sea levels. "We know that warmer ocean waters are eroding many of West Antarctica's glaciers," oceanographer Keith Makinson said. "What we're trying to understand is how slippery the sediment underneath these glaciers is, and therefore how quickly they might flow off the continent into the sea. This will help us determine future sea level rise from West Antarctica with more certainty." **READ MORE:** [Scientists Drill to Record Depths in West Antarctica]() \[*Phys.org*\] ***More on Antarctica: [A Satellite Found Remnants of Lost Continents Under Antarctica]()*** ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()