A reading that explains how the analyses of hydrogen and oxygen isotopes from ice cores determine past temperatures on Earth.
Students will learn how isotopic ratios of hydrogen and oxygen in water molecules from the ice-cores can be used to infer temperature variations in the past on Earth.
Use this tool to help students find answers to:
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- How are isotopic ratios from ice cores used to calculate past temperatures?
- Which isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen are used to compare against a standard to draw inferences about temperature variations in the past?
About the tool:
Tool Name | How are past temperatures determined from an ice core? |
Discipline | Chemistry, Earth Sciences |
Topic(s) in Discipline | Isotopes, Isotopic Ratios, Isotopic Fractionation, δ18O, Stable Isotopes, SMOW, Paleoclimate Reconstruction, Atomic Number, Atomic Mass |
Climate Topic | Climate and the Cryosphere |
Type of Tool | Reading |
Grade Level | High school, Undergraduate |
Location | Antarctica |
Language | English |
Translation | |
Developed by | Robert Mulvaney |
Hosted at | SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, a Division of Springer Nature America, Inc. |
Link | Link |
Access | Online |
Computer Skills | Basic |

An ice core
Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Ludovic Brucker
https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2616/core-questions-an-introduction-to-ice-cores/