Lab: Vostok Ice Core

Gas Age vs. Ice Age

Age is calculated in two different ways within an ice core. The ice age is calculated from an
analysis of annual layers in the top part of the core, and using an ice flow model for the bottom
part. The gas age data accounts for the fact that gas is only trapped in the ice at a depth well
below the surface where the pores close up.

Open the Vostok ice core data in Excel. Using a scatter plot, plot both the ice age and the gas
age on the y-axis as a function of depth on the x-axis on the same graph. Correctly label the y-
and x-axes with the proper units.
1) Paste the graph here.

2) What are the units of your x- and y-axes (i.e., what does ka mean?)
The x-axis is measuring the depth of the ice core. The y-axis is measuring the time in
Ka, or thousands of years, that it takes for the core to reach the depth that it is at.
3) What are the depths of the shallowest and deepest data points?
- ICE AGE
Shallowest: 130 m at 4.26 Ka
Deepest: 2060m at 160.73 Ka
- GAS AGE
Shallowest: 130 m at 1.9 Ka
Deepest: 2060 m at 156.65 Ka
For the rest of the lab, assume that the most-shallow ice core measurements represent the
environmental conditions in the 18th century before the Industrial Revolution.
4) Does age increase or decrease down the core? Why?
Age increases as the depth of the core increases. This simultaneous increase is due to
the fact that new ice is constantly being deposited and layered onto old ice. There are
always new layers of ice being stacked on top of one another to increase the depth of
the ice core.
5) Why do the two age curves differ?
 The two age curves differ, the gas age is younger whereas the ice age is older. The ice
age is younger because it takes time for gas to be compressed and sealed off from the
rest of the atmosphere; until this is done, there is still an exchange between the gas, the
ice, and the atmosphere going on. In contrast to this, the ice stops being
affected/changed the second it is deposited/layered, making it older than the gas.
6) How much younger is a bubble of gas than the ice that surrounds it, at a depth of
250 meters?
At 250 meters, the gas is 9.31 Ka and the ice is 6.79 Ka. This makes the gas 2.52 Ka or
2,520 years younger than the ice.
7) Note that if you look carefully at the plot you can see that the curve changes slope
between the top and the bottom of the core. Why do you think that this happens?
I think that the curve has a change in the steepness of its slope between the top and
bottom of the core because overtime, layers of the ice core become more quickly
compressed as more weight of both ice being deposited and gas being trapped is
stacked on top of them. Another reason for this change is slope/lack of constant slope
could be the fact that the ice core is always changing!

δD as a Proxy for Temperature

Task 2:​Next you will calculate the temperature based on the isotopic composition of the ice.
Insert a blank column into the table to the right of the delta-deuterium column (δD). Isotopic
ratios are used to model temperature. Calculate the temperature at Vostok based on the
following formula describing the empirical relationship between temperature and deuterium
concentration: Temperature (deg-C) = -55.5 + (δD + 440) / 6

8) Now, using a new scatterplot, plot your calculated temperature vs. ice age. Paste
your graph here.

9) How long ago did the maximum temperature occur? How long ago did the
minimum temperature occur?
 The maximum temperature of -52.33 C occured in the ice age of 133.01 Ka. The
minimum temperature of -65.27 C occurred in the ice age of 19.83 Ka.
10) How do these temperatures compare to the current Vostok temperature average
(Google “Vostok Station weather”)?
For the month of September, the average temperature is a high of -61 C and a low of -70
C. The minimum temperature of -65.27 C in 19.83 Ka is in this temperature range,
meaning that it is within the range of temperatures that are common for the Vostok
Station as of September 2021. The maximum temperature of -52.23 in 133.01 Ka is a
bit higher than the current average; this may be due to changes in climate as time has
gone on.

CO​2,​CH​4,​and Dust
11) Plot CO​2​as a function of gas age. Paste your graph here.

12) How closely does the plot of CO​2 r​esemble that of temperature?
While the numbers are not the same/similar, the fact that both the CO2 values and
temperature in C based on the isotopic composition of ice values have a very jagged plot
and are constantly moving up and down show that they resemble each other. It can also
be seen that the two increase/decrease at around the same points.

13) Now plot CO​2​against temperature. Add a trendline and record the R2​​value and
equation, then paste your graph here.
 Equation: y=7.0128x + 653.13
R^2: 0.6568
14) Based on your R2​​value, do you think this correlation is significant?
Based on my somewhat high R^2 value of 0.6568, I would say that the correlation
between temperature and CO2 is significant to a certain extent. However, this
correlation could always be stronger, as the most significant correlations would have an
R^2 value of 1.
15) Make the same 2 plots for CH​4,​including the R2​​value and equation on the
temperature graph. Paste them here.

Equation: y=19.156x +1640.8

R^2: 0.5491
16) Is CO​2​or CH​4​more closely correlated with temperature? Why do you think that
is?
CO2 is more closely correlated with temperature because it’s R^2 value of 0.6568 is
closer to 1 than CH4’s R^2 value of 0.5491.

17) Now make the same two plots for dust and paste them here.
 Equation: y= -25.207x - 1414.1
R^2: 0.4059
18) How well do the changes in dust concentration correlate with the temperature
changes?
Based on my somewhat low R^2 value of 0.4059, I would say that the correlation
between changes in temperature and changes in dust is not significant. However, this
correlation could always be less with, for example, an R^2 value of 0.04059.
19) Insert today's CO2​concentration (400 ppm) into the linear regression equation
from question #13 to determine what that past relationship between CO​2​and
temperature predicts that today's temperature should be at Vostok. How does your
calculation compare with the known value (in question #10)?
Regression equation from question #13 with
today’s CO2 concentration plugged in: 7.0128(400 ppm) + 653.13 = 3,738.762
Today’s CO2 concentration compared to the past’s temperature and CO2 concentration
predicts that today’s temperature at the Vostok should be around the same as that of the
temperature in, for example, 4.26 Ka.

Conclusion Questions
20) How did conditions during the last glacial maximum (around 20,000 years ago)
differ from today's conditions?
In today’s conditions, oxygen 16 and oxygen 18 are both found in the ocean. Due to
heat from the Earth during interglacial periods, oxygen 16 evaporates from the oceans,
goes into the clouds, and eventually ends up back in the ocean through rainfall, surface
runoff, rivers, etc. During the glacial period, because this oxygen 16 is more favorable
for evaporation, it stays on land in the form of snow and ice. During glacial periods,
oxygen 18 was more likely to be found in the ocean and oxygen 16 was more likely to be
found on land. During today’s interglacial period, oxygen 16 can be found both on land
and in oceans due to the Earth’s heat.
21) How do the glacial/interglacial changes (those shown on your figures) in
temperature, carbon dioxide, and methane compare to the changes since the 18th
century (which we have discussed in class)?
Glacial and interglacial changes in temperature, carbon dioxide, and methane were less
rapid than those since the 18th century due to the fact that there were less human
contributors to climate change during these ancient periods.
22) Why are these ice core paleoclimate records so important to our understanding
and prediction of climate change?
Ice core paleoclimate records are books of time! These records are so important to our
understanding about climate change because they tell us what happened in the past and
give us insight into how the Earth’s climate changed and how the environment adapted
to this change. With this knowledge of the past, scientists, researchers, and the
government can work together to predict what may happen in years to come and can
plan for the future of the human race.