What can scientists learn from studying ice cores?

Answer 1

Scientists use ice core samples as a way to determine what kind was in the atmosphere at different times in history. They melt the ice core under a vacuum hood to retrieve any gases in the ice. They then take the water and run it through different instruments to determine what type of pollution, dust, ash, radiation, and metals were trapped in the ice. This helps determine what the weather was like at different points in time.

Answer 2

it will one day come and bite you in the butt,you have no clue what you will be! You might think you want to become a cop,well you might become a scientist and you would need to know this. So study hard,and don't doubt science,because I am one:)

Answer 3

Science writer and broadcaster Richard Hollingham meets Dr Robert Mulvaney at the British Antarctic Survey, who explains how collecting ice cores from all over Antarctica gives scientists a unique window into the Earth's past climate.

Ice cores collected from thousands of metres beneath the Antarctic ice cap contain tiny bubbles of air trapped when snow fell on the continent hundreds of thousands of years ago. By extracting the bubbles, scientists can measure the levels of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere as far back as three quarters of a million years ago.

Throughout this time, they have found temperature has followed carbon dioxide closely. As carbon dioxide levels rose, so did temperature.

Listen to the podcast on NERC's Planet Earth Online

Answer 4

The Ice in the Ice core is made up of layers of compacted snow and as you go down the core you are seeing layers the fell further back in the past. As the snow fall it traps whatever is in the atmosphere as the snow crystals formed and bits of the atmosphere (little bubbles in the ice) trapped as the snow was deposited. The core therefore contains a record, layer by layer of what Earth's atmosphere was like going back many many years. Scientists look at the dust and pollen seen in each layer to understand what volcanoes were active, They can also determine composition of the atmosphere at the time. All this is useful to humanity.

Answer 5

scanties have discovered the amount of carbon dioxide trapped in and how old the ice cores was

Answer 6

They can actually learn a lot from them. They can learn what the earth was like and all sorts of stuff!! Did this help? Sorry if it didn't!! I don't know any other way to help you!!

Answer 7

Scientists measure the amounts of different gasses found in tiny air bubbles trapped in the ice. Ice cores can also contain thin layers of volcanic ash.