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Ice Cores. The cold, hard truth. Ice Core Stats. Ice Cores contain more climate information than any other naturally occurring recorder NOAA has ice core data going 3,623 meters deep and over 400,000 years into the past. Data in Ice Cores. SO 4 - Na + Cl - CO 2 CH 4 N 2 O
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IceCores The cold, hard truth
Ice Core Stats • Ice Cores contain more climate information than any other naturally occurring recorder • NOAA has ice core data going 3,623 meters deep and over 400,000 years into the past
Data in Ice Cores • SO4- • Na+ • Cl- • CO2 • CH4 • N2O • Helium Isotopes • Carbon Isotopes (14C) • Hydrogen Isotopes • Oxygen Isotopes • O2/N2ratio • Thickness of each layer • Interstellar Dust
What we can learn • SO4- – Volcanic Eruptions • Na+– seasonality of ice formation • Cl- – seasonality of ice formation • CO2 – Atmospheric levels at time of freezing • CH4 – Atmospheric levels at time of freezing • N2O – Atmospheric levels at time of freezing • Carbon Isotopes (14C) – age of organisms trapped in ice • Hydrogen Isotopes – Earth’s temperature history • Oxygen Isotopes – Earth’s temperature history • O2/N2ratio – ice core chronology • Thickness of each layer – Amount of precipitation • Interstellar Dust – asteroid/comet impacts
What we can learn • SO4- – Volcanic Eruptions • Na+– seasonality of ice formation • Cl- – seasonality of ice formation • CO2 – Atmospheric levels at time of freezing • CH4 – Atmospheric levels at time of freezing • N2O – Atmospheric levels at time of freezing • Carbon Isotopes (14C) – age of organisms trapped in ice • Hydrogen Isotopes – Earth’s temperature history • Oxygen Isotopes – Earth’s temperature history • O2/N2ratio – ice core chronology • Thickness of each layer – Amount of precipitation • Interstellar Dust – asteroid/comet impacts