Ice Core, Climate and Chemistry (ICE3)

Team coordinated by Roberto Grilli et Patrick Ginot

Goals of the team

The ICE3 team studies past and present climate variations using ice cores taken from polar ice caps and high-altitude glaciers. These natural archives enable us to reconstruct the evolution of climate and atmospheric composition (greenhouse gases, aerosols, isotopes) on scales ranging from the present to over a million years. Our work combines observations, instrumental development and modelling, to understand the mechanisms by which gases are trapped in ice, precisely date glacial records and characterize interactions between climate, cryosphere and carbon cycle. The team is also active in atmospheric chemistry, atmosphere-ice exchanges and microbiology in cold environments, studying microbial communities in air, snow, ice and sub-glacial habitats and their links with climate change. It develops innovative optical spectroscopy instruments for in situ measurement of gas composition and isotopes, whether in air, ice or water. These compact, sensitive tools are used in Antarctica, Greenland and aquatic environments (lakes, oceans), and are the subject of technology transfers to industry.