Science Alert
06 March 2024
By CLARE WATSON
Scientists have discovered in Antarctic ice a strange link between past levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide and centuries-long global pandemics, reminding us of just how easily humans – or the lack thereof – can shape planet Earth.
Bubbles of air encased in ancient ice are like teensy time capsules, trapping tiny samples of gases from atmospheres thousands or even millions of years ago.
The best records for the past 2,000 years come from just two ice cores that have greatly influenced modeling studies of climate and carbon cycles in the Common Era: the Law Dome, an Antarctic ice ‘hill’; and the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide ice cores.