Final answer:
Ice core sampling provides evidence of climate change by analyzing trapped air bubbles within the ice that contain historical data on Earth's atmosphere, uncovering past temperature and carbon dioxide levels.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sampling ice cores provides critical evidence for climate change by allowing scientists to analyze the composition of Earth's atmosphere from the past. The Antarctic ice cores, for example, can go back hundreds of thousands of years. Trapped within these ice cores are air bubbles that contain ancient atmospheres, offering indirect measures of temperature and carbon dioxide levels over time. Geologists refer to such measures as 'proxies,' which are secondary sources of climate data, like fossils, tree
ings, and sediment cores.
When drilling for ice cores in places like Antarctica, scientists are essentially taking a glimpse into Earth's climatic history – the deeper they drill, the further back in time they can look. By analyzing air bubbles in the ice, temperature and carbon dioxide data can be extracted. These air bubbles, along with other biological substances trapped in the ice, are invaluable in recreating a picture of Earth's climatic past. This analysis has revealed periodic cycles of increasing and decreasing temperature, thereby providing evidence of historical climate patterns and changes.