Ocean floor reveals past climate changes
<p><span word="As">As</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="earth">earth</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="climate">climate</span> <span word="changes">changes</span>, <span word="one">one</span> <span word="tool">tool</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="understanding">understanding</span> <span word="its">its</span> <span word="environmental">environmental</span> <span word="impacts">impacts</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="study">study</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="past">past</span> <span word="climate">climate</span> <span word="changes">changes</span>, <span word="revealed">revealed</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="layers">layers</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="sediment">sediment</span> <span word="scientists">scientists</span> <span word="take">take</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="sea">sea</span> <span word="floor">floor</span>.</p><p><span word="At">At</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Lamont">Lamont</span>-<span word="Doherty">Doherty</span> <span word="Earth">Earth</span> <span word="Observatory">Observatory</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Palisades">Palisades</span>, <span word="New">New</span> <span word="York">York</span>, <span word="frozen">frozen</span> <span word="samples">samples</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="those">those</span> <span word="sediments">sediments</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="housed">housed</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="facility">facility</span> <span word="called">called</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Core">Core</span> <span word="Repository">Repository</span>.</p><p><span word="Time">Time</span> <span word="capsule">capsule</span></p><p><span word="Lamont">Lamont</span> <span word="research">research</span> <span word="professor">professor</span> <span word="Maureen">Maureen</span> <span word="Raymo">Raymo</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="director">director</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Core">Core</span> <span word="Repository">Repository</span>, <span word="slides">slides</span> <span word="open">open</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="long">long</span>, <span word="narrow">narrow</span> <span word="drawer">drawer</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="cabinet">cabinet</span>. <span word="Like">Like</span> <span word="thousands">thousands</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="others">others</span> <span word="here">here</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="drawer">drawer</span> <span word="contains">contains</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="long">long</span>, <span word="thin">thin</span> <span word="cylinder">cylinder</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="layered">layered</span> <span word="sediment">sediment</span>.</p><p><span word="It">It</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="sample">sample</span> <span word="extracted">extracted</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="ocean">ocean</span> <span word="floor">floor</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="below">below</span>. <span word="According">According</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="Raymo">Raymo</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="cylinder">cylinder</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="distinctive">distinctive</span> <span word="stripes">stripes</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="varied">varied</span> <span word="colors">colors</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="widths">widths</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="unique">unique</span> <span word="visual">visual</span> <span word="record">record</span>, <span word="a">a</span> <span word="sort">sort</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="vertical">vertical</span> <span word="time">time</span> <span word="capsule">capsule</span>.</p><p>“<span word="Imagine">Imagine</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="out">out</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="boat">boat</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="could">could</span> <span word="see">see</span> <span word="right">right</span> <span word="through">through</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="four">four</span> <span word="kilometers">kilometers</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="water">water</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="between">between</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="bottom">bottom</span>. <span word="And">And</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="bottom">bottom</span> <span word="all">all</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="little">little</span> <span word="fossils">fossils</span>, <span word="all">all</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="little">little</span> <span word="plankton">plankton</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="die">die</span> <span word="over">over</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="years">years</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="water">water</span> <span word="column">column</span>, <span word="their">their</span> <span word="remains">remains</span> <span word="settled">settled</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="sea">sea</span> <span word="floor">floor</span>, <span word="just">just</span> <span word="gently">gently</span> <span word="settled">settled</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="bottom">bottom</span>," <span word="Raymo">Raymo</span> <span word="says">says</span>. "<span word="And">And</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="accumulate">accumulate</span>, <span word="layer">layer</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="layer">layer</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="layer">layer</span>, <span word="over">over</span> <span word="millions">millions</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="years">years</span>. <span word="So">So</span> <span word="imagine">imagine</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="just">just</span> <span word="came">came</span> <span word="along">along</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="just">just</span> <span word="stuck">stuck</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="big">big</span> <span word="piston">piston</span> <span word="tube">tube</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="sediment">sediment</span>, <span word="or">or</span> <span word="took">took</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="straw">straw</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="stuck">stuck</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="sediment">sediment</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="pushed">pushed</span> <span word="it">it</span> 20 <span word="meters">meters</span> <span word="down">down</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="extracted">extracted</span> <span word="it">it</span>, <span word="you">you</span> <span word="would">would</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="long">long</span> <span word="core">core</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="would">would</span> <span word="essentially">essentially</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="record">record</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="sedimentation">sedimentation</span> <span word="going">going</span> <span word="back">back</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="time">time</span>. <span word="For">For</span> <span word="geologists">geologists</span>, <span word="it">it</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="equivalent">equivalent</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="tape">tape</span> <span word="recorder">recorder</span>.”</p>
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