Science quiz: on palaeoclimatology
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What’s the general name for formations like stalactites and stalagmites, which are formed when minerals slowly deposit at one location over a long period?
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An ___ ____ is a cylinder of ice that’s been drilled out of a larger mass. These objects have trapped small bubbles of air from an atmosphere that existed when the ice froze. By analysing this air, scientists can study the atmosphere from centuries or even millennia ago. Fill in the blanks.
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Water molecules contain different isotopes of oxygen. Two in particular are interesting: the lighter one evaporates more easily while the heavier one falls as rain sooner. Scientists measure the ratio of these isotopes in ice or shells to determine the temperature of the world at that time. Specify the mass numbers of the two isotopes.
4 / 6 |
An important field in palaeoclimatology is palynology, which is the scientific study of ____. This includes pollen grains, spores, and dinoflagellates. Exponents of palynology analyse fossils in sediment layers to reconstruct past climates and vegetation (and in melissopalynology to confirm the authenticity of honey). Fill in the blank.
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X cycles are collective changes in the earth’s movements that affect the world’s climate over millennia. They’re named after a Serbian scientist who theorised in the 1920s that these orbital variations cause the ice ages by altering the distribution and intensity of sunlight reaching the earth. Name X.
6 / 6 |
Microscopic sea creatures called Y build shells out of calcium carbonate. When they die, they sink. The chemical makeup of these shells reflects the ocean temperature and chemistry when they were alive. Name Y.
