I promised to talk a little bit about the different ways people track time. Today, I am going to give you a brief explanation of what ice core dating is all about, and why scientists think it’s useful.
When scientists drill an ice core they pull a very large sample of data. Similar to the rings on a tree, ice cores have layers and it is possible to tell each annual layer apart. Water evaporates at different speeds depending on the outdoor temperature. It’s actually possible to see this in the samples. The other method is through Irradiation Dependent Markers (cosmic rays and solar irradiation impinging on the upper atmosphere).
It’s really all too complex to describe here, I suggest further reading:
