Call: A 1.5 million year look into the past for improving climate predictions

• Health, demographic change and wellbeing;
• Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine and maritime and inland water research, and the Bioeconomy;
• Secure, clean and efficient energy;
• Smart, green and integrated transport;
• Climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials;
• Europe in a changing world - inclusive, innovative and reflective societies;
• Secure societies - protecting freedom and security of Europe and its citizens.

This Subprogramme aims to achieve a resource- and water-efficient economoy and society that is also resilient to climate change. Furthermore, it seeks to promote the protection and sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystems. Lastly, the Programme also supports the sustainable supply and use of raw materials, in order to meet the needs of a growing global population within the sustainable limits of the planet's natural resources and eco-systems.

Ice cores contain unique and quantitative information about past climate forcing and responses and have provided essential evidence about mechanisms of climate change, underpinning our understanding of future climate change. The challenge is to extend the record/analysis back to the so called 'mid-Pleistocene transition', when the frequency of glacial cycles changed considerably in response to orbital perturbations. This will allow to better constrain the climate response to future GHG emissions and unravel key linkages between the carbon cycle, ice sheets and atmospheric and ocean climate. A realistic target is to acquire a new ice core from the Antarctic that will contain a record back to 1.5 million years (Myr), but a suitable site where such ice exists has not yet been identified and will require a significant integrated effort.

The action should support the preparations for new ice-drilling campaigns in Antarctica and help screen suitable sites where future drilling could provide ice-core records, extending up to 1.5 million years into the past. It should aim to define the feasibility of acquiring a 1.5 Myr ice-core record and establish a technical and logistic roadmap for the development of an international drilling campaign, while developing the financial engineering and the framework for international cooperation necessary to support the future endeavour.

At least one legal entity established in an EU Member State or Horizon 2020 associated country. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the range of  2 million € would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. Up to one action shall be funded. Funding rate: 100%