The northern extent of the Larsen Ice Shelf has disappeared over the past 50 years. This has produced changes in the rates and types of sediments deposited on the seafloor. Organisms living on the seafloor and in the water column also change as the ice disappears. A change in ocean circulation is another result from the collapse of the ice shelf. How these various conditions changed through time can be determined by studying sediment cores collected from the sea floor. Here we see a type of device used to collect up to 6 meters of sediment.