Lab 1 Ice Cores and Climate Change Name Jaylene Smith Date 29 1 2023 Materials and Methods To better understand the composition of the atmosphere at various points in earth s history the goal of this laboratory was to collect an ice core sample and examine it in a lab setting To travel to the drilling site the laboratory s initial move was to board a helicopter A hollow drill head is discovered on the drilling site To be able to move the ice sample back we then turn on the drill Once back at the main facility the helicopter is employed To comprehend the components of the ice core sample analysis is performed This investigation examines just one slice of the ice core allowing us to see all of the distinct components of the air that were trapped inside These elements help us comprehend the composition of the Earth s atmosphere in the past and its previous climates Using the Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry method is the final step carried out in the laboratory Results CO2 concentrations from the ice core for the last 1010 years before present Graphs This graph shows the concentration of CO2 for the last 1010 years before present A decrease in CO2 can be found the farthest the year is from present time This graph shows us the concentration of CO2 for the last 1010 years before present Different increases and decreases of CO2 can be seen dating back to 40 000 years before present to the present time Discussion and Conclusion The climate of the Earth has varied across several epochs and as a result so has the makeup of the atmosphere We can learn more about how much the atmospheric CO2 concentration has changed or increased over the Earth from this lab This facility collects ice samples from Antarctica The compressed snow in these samples which has been accumulating for thousands of years and offers a wealth of knowledge about Earth s past was present Air trapped inside the ice is where the information in the ice core samples is found Scientists study the many gases in this air to ascertain the temperature of the globe and the makeup of its atmosphere over various time periods among other earthly properties To examine these gases a Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy is employed By examining the ice samples many components or gases including CO2 volcanic ashes CO2 and aerosols are discovered These gases play a significant role in the atmosphere s composition and thus have an impact on the earth s temperature For instance mineral dust from desserts which can have cooling or warming effects creates the aerosols that are seen in the ice CO2 is a different gas that has an impact on the earth s climate The gathered information reveals various CO2 concentration rises and falls For example in the first graph that shows us the concentration of CO2 for the last 1010 years before present it is presented as an increase of concentration as the years get closer to present time On the other hand the graph that shows CO2 concentrations over time for the last 420 000 years before present gives us a look into the ups and downs over a longer period of time This graph shows us how around 40 000 years before present there was a close concentration of CO2 to the one in the present Being able to analyze how and why the concentrations of CO2 have decreased in the past will help find ways in our present concentration of CO2 These analyses and studies will help us fight one of the biggest problems nowadays which is global warming Global warming is part of climate change in which our planet is facing a rise in its temperature The rise of the planet s temperature is caused by different human activities that increase the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere Understanding the ways our earth s climate has decreased in the past will help us find a solution to the problem of global warming in our present time The impacts of a 6 foot rise in sea level can be seen in many different US cities via the Sea Level Rise Viewer Miami for instance would be one of the places that will be most negatively impacted by the sea level rise The North Fork Miami River s riverbed would extend while the city of Miami s shore line would be considerably cut back Most of the cities might be flooded by one of these occurrences While certain streets and communities would flood due to a lowered coast line a significant portion of the city would flood due to the North Fork Miami River s growing river bed Along with several local monuments like the Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and the Miami Springs Golf Course hundreds of neighborhoods would also be submerged Other adjacent cities would eventually flood as a result of the city s floods Such occurrences ought to serve as a warning about the implications of global warming and how we may lessen their influence