ABSTRACT
THE ANTARCTIC TREATY: A CONTINENT FOR SCIENCE
A Frozen Time Capsule The ice sheet is the predominant feature of Antarctica, and inevitably it has attracted a considerable scientific effort, such as upon the part of glaciologists, who have studied its form, flow and stability. These matters possess a significance extending well beyond Antarctica; for example, the ice sheet's stability represents the principal factor controlling world sea levels, whether around Britain, Australia or the USA, while the ice-covered continent constitutes a key influence upon global weather and climates. In addition, David Peel of BAS has described Antarctica as a 'frozen time capsule' in recog nition of the ice sheet’s role as a historical record not only of snow accumulations in Antarctica but also of climatic and pollution conditions in other parts of the world[l]. An ice core collected in Antarctica can provide data relating to a long time period, and a bore hole penetrating about 90% of the ice sheet may cover a time period of between 20,000 to 200,000 years, occasionally in excess of one million years. In this manner, scientific research can construct ’a detailed record of past environments’ [2]. The results can fill gaps in existing knowledge, and, to quote a recent BAS publication:
Where else can one find snow that fell when the Romans invaded Britain or samples of the atmosphere from before and after the advent of leaded petrol? Where else, alas, can one find nuclear weapons tests recorded for pos terity in neatly stacked layers of harmless but detectable radioactivity[3].
