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Paleoclimatology/Paleoceanography Exercise
Hello before you begin please read https://www2.usgs.gov/landresources/lcs/paleoclimate/Introduce the background behind Paleoclimatology and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nydKlpZdIUWhich will introduce you to IODP which took the cores you will look at in this assignment.
There is a separate Power point with the figures for this assignment. Please look at the figures provided and answer the following questions based on the look of the core. We will focus on the basic look of the core. Each question is 3 points.
1. Use the Drillhole Location Map (Figure1) to describe the location around Hole 1308A (labeled U1308 on the map); you will be examining sediment cored at this location. Tell me which ocean the core is located in. Is it in the tropics, artic, or in-between? Given that oceans have an effect on the climate on land why do you think this ocean is important to study? (hint think about where we are living).
2. Using the photo (Figure 2) you should make
Written observations of the core. Where does color change and how does it change and at what depth (look at scale along the side of the core). What are the dominant colors of this core? Give a guess why the color changes from light to dark? (Will let you know below)
3. So in this core when things are warm you get lighter colors and when you get colder temperatures you have darker colors. So looking at figure 2 and 3 (the entire core) what do you think it is going on temperature wise in this core?
4. So watch this video on the ice ages https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4EZCy14te0Given that I can tell you that there is at least one glacial event found in Figure 3 tell me where you think where one transition occurs and why you chose that point. (use the scale along the side)
5. Using either a color copy of the composite photo of all cores (Figure 4), compare your observations between all three photos to draw conclusions about how Figures 2, 3, and 4 are related.
6. Based on your observations above look at figure 4. Assuming that as we move from left to right in all these cores we are moving from older to younger what is the big change from the cores on the left hand side of the figure to the cores on the right hand side
7. Look at figure 5. This is a record of temperatures over the last 5 million years, which covers the same time as the cores in Figure 4. What happened to temperatures during this time and does this relate to what you see in the cores
8. Explain, where you think the onset cooler temperatures (glaciation) is recorded in this sediment record and explain your reasoning.
9. Sum up what can the cores tell us about how climate changed in this location and why is this important.
10 Why is understanding past climate important for helping with dealing with future climate change.
