Scientists think the WAIS Divide core should provide the most accurate record to date of atmospheric carbon dioxide, which will allow them to better ascertain the role of carbon dioxide in climate change.

ECONOMIST: The South Pole as location and metaphor

Furthermore, the high-quality dating of the WAIS Divide core will make it easy to correlate with cores from Greenland's ice sheet, allowing for a tighter coupling of records from the Artic and the Antarctic.

ECONOMIST: The South Pole as location and metaphor

Several hours from the South Pole, in the barren expanses of western Antarctica, a small team of American researchers has just finished their second field-season with the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide Ice Core project.

ECONOMIST: The South Pole as location and metaphor