A History of Climate Change

seen through Ice

Research done for National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)

Rohan Chitrao
 Table of Content

Abstract.......................................................................................................................................................3
The Problem................................................................................................................................................4
The Solution.................................................................................................................................................5
How Does This Solution Resolve The Problem?...........................................................................................6
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................7
References...................................................................................................................................................8

Table of Figures

Figure 1: Average Temperature per Year ….…………………………………………………………………………………………….4

Figure 2: Ice Depth vs Thickness………………………………………………………………………………………………………………6

Abstract
Global Warming has had a very large effect on Earth’s climate in the last few decades. The effects are
obviously present as seen in Ffigure 1 below, but it can be hard to show these effects quantitatively. One
good way of doing this is drilling into the ice at the poles. Snowfall in general tells us a lot about the
chemical composition of the atmosphere during the time in which the snow formed and fell to the
ground. At the poles, it is cold enough to allow this snow to remain frozen. Over time as more and more
layers of snow fallsnowfall, the older layers get compressed under the newer ones and become more
compact. This snow eventually turns into ice and becomes a part of the glacier. This ice remains frozen
for many decades and all of the information it held is preserved. As the snow falls, it collects samples of
the chemical composition of the atmosphere. These samples are then preserved in the layers of ice for
extended periods of time. The type of snow that falls in summers and winters is also different giving us
valuable information about the timeline of the snowfall. By drilling into the ice, collecting columns of ice,
and studying the layers that have formed over time, we can analyze the atmospheric compositions from
years ago and study trends to help make predictions about the future.

Figure 1: Average Temperature per Year

What is tThe pProblem?
Why does climate change matter?
Climate change is slowly but surely changing the world we live in for the worse. Temperatures across the
globe are changing. Recent data has shown that average temperatures are rising extremely rapidly in
comparison to natural trends. This leads to many problems that need immediate action by companies as
well as the general public. Natural disasters become much more probable and therefore problematic
with increasing temperatures across the globe.

What are some eExamples of problems caused by

climate change?
Due to climate change, heatwaves heat waves and droughts are becoming more frequent and severe.
This will lead to water scarcity and shortages which is a big problem. Without ample water supply, prices
will rise. We would all have to conserve water and countries may dispute over water. Food supply would
also be affected. Farming requires a large supply of water for both animals and vegetation. Another
consequence of climate change is rising sea levels. As climates get hotter, the glaciers at the poles (from
which we would be extracting our ice samples) begin to melt. As this happens, the newly melted ice
becomes a part of the oceans and contributes to rising sea levels. Rough estimates indicate that if all
glaciers were to melt sea levels around the world could rise by seventy meters, effectively destroying all
coastal suburbs and cities. Another problem is that all land animals living at the poles would suffer.
These are only a few of the consequences of rising global temperatures. There are many more. To better
understand climate change, and prevent some of the situations I have described from happening, it is
important to study trends and construct estimates for how climates will change in the coming years.

The Solution How can we solve this

problem?
What data can we collect?
One way of creating estimates for future climate change is to study trends that have occurred in the
past. A great way of doing this is to look at the layers that have been formed in glaciers. Each layer is
made of snow that fell during a specific time period. The snow collected atmospheric data of that time
on its way to the ground. This data is now frozen in the layers of ice as it is compacted under new layers.
By studying these layers and realizing trends, we can study how the atmosphere has changed in past
years. Because of the high time resolutions, the drilled ice becomes an excellent time capsule of
atmospheric data.

What can we learn from the data?

One important set of data that we can extract from this ice is the carbon dioxide percentage in the
atmosphere at the time of the snowfall. We can then compare today’s recorded data to the data
extrapolated from the ice from previous years. In order to do this, the ice needs to be stored in a safe
place. However, there are many conditions that need to be met for the storage space to be deemed safe
for the ice columns. Most ice columns are studied in labs across the world and not in their respective
storage vats. They must be transported in low temperatures and clean environments so the data can
remain accurate.

In what conditions are the ice cores kept?

The ice cores collected need to be stored in specific conditions. The most obvious of these conditions is
that the room needs to be cold enough to allow the ice to stay in solid form for extended periods of
time. This means that the room temperature needs to be below freezing 24 hours a day, every day.
Another important condition is that the room should be clean. The number of particles in the air needs
to be monitored to a high degree. Particles in the air can settle on the ice columns extracted and create
inaccuracies in the data. For this reason, the air in the rooms that the ice is stored in is heavily filtered to
the point where there are about one hundred particles per cubic meter in the air. By keeping the ice
samples free of external particles, scientists are able to study the properties of the ice carefully. The
cleanliness of the room ensures that all findings are accurate.

How does this solution resolve the

problem?
What can we do with the data collected?
Studying the ice layers gives scientists important information about past climates. More importantly, it
allows us to make estimates about how climates will change in the future. This is done mostly by
analyzing trends from past collected data. The simplest way of doing this is by drawing a trend line. By
drawing a line of best fit for all the past data and extending it into the future, we can estimate what
atmospheric composition, temperature, and overall behavior will be for the coming years. Figure 2
below shows a plot of ice layer width vs depth, giving an estimate of temperatures at the time at which
the snow fell. Higher temperatures allow thinner layers to form. This information is crucial to ensuring
that we make the necessary changes to our habits and way of life. It gives us a good timeline for how
fast we need to change before things get really bad. This information is very important. Being able to
change our habits and way of life could completely change the impacts we as a society have on the
climate. Many of the consequences of our actions could be changed from negative to neutral or even
positive. It is very important for each citizen of any given country to pay attention to the data being
collected and change their lifestyles accordingly.

Figure 2: Ice Depth vs Thickness

How is this information useful?

Companies that need to make large-scale changes will only do so when they see that the data shows a
sense of urgency. Not only do the ice core columns extracted help us estimate future greenhouse gas
levels, but they also give us a baseline to compare to. We can examine atmospheric data from pre-
industrial times. As a society, we can use this baseline as a goal to try to reach in an attempt to heal the
Earth. While returning to the atmospheric conditions of pre-industrial times is not attainable in any
reasonable timeline, we can still aim to get as close as possible.

Conclusion
Global warming is a problem that is slowly affecting all of us and will soon have significant
consequences. One of the reasons we know this is because data extracted from the layers of ice that
have formed over the years show rising levels of carbon dioxide as well as other greenhouse gases.
Using this information, we can estimate how the climate will change in the coming years. These ice cores
are a great source of past atmospheric data and act as a time machine that allows scientists to discern
what past climates may have looked like. Each and every one of us can use this data to make a
difference. The small changes we make to our lifestyles can have a large impact on our environment.

References
“About Ice Cores.” NSF Ice Core Facility, icecores.org/about-ice-cores.

Dahlman, Rebecca Lindsey and LuAnn. “Climate Change: Global Temperature.” Climate
Change: Global Temperature | NOAA Climate.gov,
www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-
temperature.

Q., Robin G. De, et al. “Ice Cores and Climatic Change.” Philosophical Transactions of the
Royal Society of London. B, Biological Sciences, 17 Aug. 1977,
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rstb.1977.0103.