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Changes at the End of the Earth

This Canadian scientist is readying a machine that will drill down into the thick ice and retrieve a core sample that can show climate change over time.

set up measuring devices on Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano and at the Little America navy base in Antarctica. This was part of a long-range project to measure changes in CO 2 levels. By 1960, Keeling had hard evidence from the Antarctica site that CO 2 levels were rising. The IGY led to increased interest in studying the polar regions as well as the signing of theAntarcticTreaty.The 12 nations that had carried out research on the continent pledged to pursue more scientific study there and share their results.The countries also agreed to useAntarctica “for peaceful purposes only.”Today, more than 50 nations have signed the treaty.