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WAIS Divide

WAIS Divide is a field camp located on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet about 1600 kilometers (1000 miles) from McMurdo. About 45 people are always at the camp, but the population has increased to 60 people as groups heading to other camps pass through. WAIS is not a year round camp. It opens in October or November when a group goes out to dig out the buildings and closes in January. The camp first opened in 2005.
There a buildings for science and support operations, however the people live in tents. The major project is collecting ice cores. The scientists have drilled through 3300 meters of ice and have not yet hit bedrock. The advantage of obtaining the cores at this location are the layers of ice are flat and undisturbed. By sampling the gases trapped in the ice the scientists can get a picture of the atmosphere dating back almost 62,000 years.