Chapter 4 mentions constructing past carbon dioxide profiles from the air trapped in ice cores, which I thought needed more explanation. Ice forms as new snow accumulates on top of old snow increasing the pressure. The increased pressure forms the crystalline lattice, which consists of open air spaces where carbon dioxide can be trapped during the time period of formation. With the aid of dating techniques, scientists can date each ice deposition and determine the amount of carbon dioxide present at that time period. The graph above shows how the amount of carbon dioxide and aerosols in the atmosphere was correlated to temperature (higher carbon dioxide concentrations equals higher temperatures) for the Vostok Ice Core in Greenland. For more information on ice cores and their use as paleoclimate proxies visit this page.
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