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* This tutorial is regarding Climate Proxies ** What are Climate proxies? What are some of the examples of common climate proxies that scientists use to decipher the past climate? What is special in t

* This tutorial is regarding Climate Proxies **

What are Climate proxies? What are some of the examples of common climate proxies that scientists use to decipher the past climate? What is special in the certain substance that enables them to function as climate proxies? How do proxies provide us a glimpse into the climatological past? Provide some real-world examples of how such climate proxies were used in a real-time environment to solve the climate conundrum. 

** This tutorial section also contains a section on climate modeling **

What is climate modeling? why is climate modeling a complex factor? How is climate modeling is linked to the intricate nature of the climate? How ancient geological trends and cyclicity of climate factors help in making the climatological models more accurate and realistic?

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*Climate scientists look for past evidence to understand the nature of the climate in the past. Unlocking the climatic conditions in the past is a key to understanding and deducing the future of the present climate. This is done through climate proxies. Climate proxies are the preserved physical remains in the form of sediment, meteorological measurements, and others that could be deduced analytically to infer and reconstruct the climate of the past.

The method could be utilized to deduce the Earth’s climate on a geological time scale thus helping the scientists. These proxies include-

  • Proxies
  • Description and Explanation
  • Ice core

Ice core analysis involves drilling of ice columns in thick ice sheets of permanent ice-bedded regions such as Greenland, North America, Antarctica, and others. The ice column is extracted from a depth of around 800-1000 m depth. Following the extraction of the ice core sample, the analysis is done to analyze the relative concentration of 16O and 18O isotopes of oxygen in the ice core sample. A relatively higher concentration of 18O signifies warmer temperature, and vice-versa.

Tree rings

The ancient climate could also be inferred using tree rings. Tree form their rings annually. The prevailing climatic conditions impact the tree ring growth and hence, ancient climate impacts are recorded on the tree ring on the stump. This could be deduced to get an insight into the climate of the past. E.g., A warm and humid climate exhibits profuse growth of rings, where rings are thick and dark. Similarly, the gap between successive rings denotes drought years in between.

Corals

Corals form rings that are analyzed to ascertain the climate of the past. Coral skeletal rings are analyzed for the relative concentration of 16O and 18O isotopes so that ancient climates could be deciphered. E.g., the Prevalence of warmer temperatures is indicated by the abundance of normal oxygen isotopes.

Pollen grains

Pollen grains are utilized to reconstruct the climate of the past. This could be done through the analysis of sediments since sediments contain pollen grains. Pollens are resistant to decay and hence, an abundance of pollen represents a warm and humid weather condition causing plants to produce surplus pollen and vice-versa.

Climate modeling in itself is quite complex with a multitude of factors, most of which remain unknown. Hence, in such a scenario, reconstruction of climate during the geological past could provide us with useful insight to decipher the nature of the climate. Going through geological trends, the climate throughout the geological past has been following the theory of cyclicity in the condition that no extreme events occur. Hence, through the proper analysis of the past climate, scientists are trying to model the climate of the future.

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