GEOL 1111 – Environmental Geology Lab:
Ice Cores: Questions for submission
Climate History & the Cryosphere: Adapted from
https://serc.carleton.edu/eslabs/cryosphere/4b.html
Part 1: Gas Age vs. Ice Age Questions
1.
Does ages increase or decrease down the core? Why?
2.
Is the thickness of an annual layer of ice smallest at the top or bottom of the
core? Why?
Part 3: CO2 and Dust Questions
3.
The present atmospheric CO2 concentration is 379 ppmv (IPCC, 2007). Calculate
the change in CO2 concentration between the last glacial maximum (~20,000
years ago) and the 18th century, and between the 18th century and today. You
can assume that the shallowest ice core measurements represent the
environmental conditions in the 18th century. Why were CO
2
and dust
concentrations different during the glacial time as compared to the 18th century?
4.
Why are these ice core paleoclimate records so important to our understanding
and prediction of climate change?
5.
Note that there were two major warming events representing two deglaciations
in the Vostok calculated temperature data. Look at how CO
2
changes during those
deglaciation periods. From the data provided in this lab, can you tell which
changes first, temperature or CO
2
concentration? Why is this important?
