Climate change lesson in the cold

27 May 2008 01:09pm

The Prince of Wales stepped into one of the coldest places in Britain to be given a lesson on the history of global warming.

Charles was visiting the British Antarctic Survey's headquarters in Cambridge to discuss research into climate change with leading scientists.

Ice expert Dr Robert Mulvaney, who returned from the Antarctic in March, showed the Prince a metre-long rod of Antarctic ice formed 440 years ago, when Elizabeth I was on the throne.

The rod was among samples of ice collected in the Antarctic by BAS scientists and returned to Britain for analysis.

The Prince donned an orange thermal overcoat before stepping into the ice core freezer which is kept at a temperature of minus 25C and used to store ice samples brought back from the Antarctic.

Charles, who arrived in a Jaguar and was accompanied by officials who travelled in a second Jaguar and a Range Rover, was told how Antarctic ice acted as a barometer for global planet change.

"It's one of the few places in the world where we can look at the history of the climate," said Dr Mulvaney.

"By drilling out cores of ice we can see changes in temperature coinciding with the start of the industrial revolution, the introduction of leaded petrol and the motor car and the introduction of unleaded petrol."

© The Press Association