Answer:
- They can estimate the ocean's temperature.
- They can calculate the amount of carbon dioxide in the air.
Step-by-step explanation:
Foraminifera are single-celled organisms that live in the ocean and secrete shells made of calcium carbonate. The shells of foraminifera contain chemical isotopes that are useful for understanding past climate conditions.
The ratio of different isotopes of oxygen in the foraminifera shells provides a record of the ocean temperature at the time the foraminifera lived. This is because the ratio of isotopes in the shells changes in response to changes in the ocean temperature. Scientists can use this information to reconstruct past ocean temperatures, which in turn can be used to infer other aspects of the climate at the time.
The amount of carbon dioxide in the air can also be estimated from the chemical isotopes in the foraminifera shells. Foraminifera shells contain information about the amount of carbon dioxide in the water, and by extension, in the air, because the ocean and atmosphere are interconnected. Scientists can use the amount of carbon dioxide in the shells to infer changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels over time, which is an important aspect of understanding the Earth's past climate.
Overall, the chemical isotopes in foraminifera shells provide an important tool for reconstructing past ocean and atmospheric conditions, which helps us understand how the Earth's climate has changed over time.