While we are concerned about sea level rise, some mechanisms of melting in the western ice sheet remain understudied, particularly with regard to the impact of surrounding ocean warming: some sectors of this region appear to be extremely vulnerable to ocean temperature fluctuations, and many questions remain about the climatic conditions that cause the contraction of the massive coastal ice shelves that stabilize the continent's backwaters. A contribution to solving these unknowns comes from the study of sedimentary rock samples taken from areas near the center of West Antarctica and formed in warmer epochs than the present. These geological records hold environmental information critical to understanding our future, but until now it has been nearly impossible to retrieve them. "We have more knowledge about the rocks and composition of the Moon than we do about the bedrock that lies beneath the West Antarctic Ice Cap," says Richard Levy, one of the scientific coordinators of the SWAIS2C Project. Field operations in Antarctica will continue throughout 2024. A second drilling campaign will begin in November 2024 in a region of the Ross Shelf called "Crary Ice Rise" and will be coordinated by Molly Patterson and Huw Horgan. The SWAIS2C project team consists of more than 120 people including 25 young researchers from 35 research institutions from the following nations: New Zealand, the United States, Germany, Austria, Italy, Japan, Spain, the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For Italy, INGV (National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology) plays a significant and leadership role in the SWAIS2C project, operating as a "Contributing Party",with a relevant presence both in the Science Team and in communication, education and public outreach activities. Researchers from several Italian universities and research institutions also participate in the project, including the University of Siena, the University of Genoa, the University of Trieste, and OGS (National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics).