How do glaciers reflect climate change?
Glacial ice can range in age from several hundred to several hundreds of thousands years, making it valuable for climate research. To see a long-term climate record, an ice core is drilled and extracted from the glacier. Ice cores have been taken from around the world, including Peru, Canada, Greenland, Antarctica, Europe, and Asia. These cores are continuous records providing scientists with information regarding past climate. Scientists analyze various components of cores, particularly trapped air bubbles, which reveal past atmospheric composition, temperature variations, and types of vegetation. Glaciers literally preserve bits of atmosphere from thousands of years ago in these tiny air bubbles. This is how scientists know that there have been several Ice Ages. Past eras can be reconstructed, showing how and why climate changed, and how it might change in the future. Scientists are also finding that glaciers reveal clues about global warming. How much does our atmosphere naturally w
