ATM 103 Lecture 21: Nov 22
6 Mar 2017
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Document Summary
Higher levels are due to burning fossil fuels and deforestation. Some of the excess is taken up by plants or is dissolved in the oceans. Proxy data comes from sea floor sediments, glacial ice, fossil pollen, and tree growth rings, as well as from historical documents. Scientists who analyze proxy data and reconstruct past climates are engaged in paleoclimatology. Sea floor sediment - a storehouse of climate data: This sediment consists of deat, near-surface organisms that accumulate on sea floor. This analysis measures the ratio between 16o (common) and 18o (heavier) in ocean water. There is more 18o in water during glacial times. There is more 16o in water during interglacial times. Scientists collect ice cores with a drilling rig. They also contain air bubbles trapped in the ice, which contain a record of variations in. Ice cores contain a detailed record of changing air temperatures and snowfall atmospheric condition. Dendrochronology is the dating and study of tree rings.
