Book 7, Question 96
Why Do Tree Rings and Ice Cores Hold Climate Clues?
Tree rings and ice cores hold climate clues because they store a yearly record of the past. Each year, a tree adds a ring and the ice adds a layer, and both are shaped by that year's weather. Nature keeps notebooks!
More fun facts
- The oldest ice cores ever found are about 800,000 years old.
- Some ice cores are drilled from more than 3,500 meters (11,000 feet) deep.
- Tiny bubbles of ancient air trapped in the ice show what Earth's air was like long ago.
- Ice cores also hold dust, ash, and pollen from the past.
- Summer snow and winter snow look different, so the layers show light and dark bands.
- Tree rings keep a rough record of each growing season's temperature and moisture going back about 2,000 years.
Sources: NASA Science, NASA Science
Questions kids ask
How old is the oldest ice core?
About 800,000 years old.
What's inside an ice core?
Layers of old snow with trapped air bubbles, dust, ash, and pollen.