Swiss scientists have worked both in Switzerland and abroad using glaciers to investigate climate change. The snow that accumulates on glaciers includes atmospheric particles, and as the snow is compressed, gases are trapped. Atmospheric traces are stored in chronological order. Changes in atmospheric pollution can also be measured in this ice. An ice-core from a glacier provides a snapshot of past climatic conditions.

A recently developed method enables scientists to use carbon 14 to date the different parts of a core.

In Switzerland Swiss scientists have – among other places - extracted cores on the Colle Gnifetti, at 4452 meters above sea level, which is thought to contain the oldest ice in the Swiss Alps.

Researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) have worked with colleagues in South America and Russia to take ice cores from glaciers and bring them to Switzerland for analysis.

The PSI Laboratory for radio and environmental technology is a world leader in this research. The work requires not only modern equipment and expert scientists, but also courage and endurance. Access and weather conditions can make the taking of ice-cores extremely difficult. Working on the samples in a refrigerated room back in Switzerland is also a challenge.

The ice record is threatened by the melting of the glaciers, so researchers are under pressure to obtain drill for cores as quickly as possible.