How Scientists Determine Climates of the Past

Paleoenvironmental reconstruction (also known as paleoclimate reconstruction) refers to the results and the investigations undertaken to determine what the climate and vegetation were like at a particular time and place in the past. Climate, including vegetation, temperature, and relative humidity, has varied considerably during the time since the earliest human habitation of planet earth, from both natural and cultural (human-made) causes. Climatologists primarily use paleoenvironmental data to understand how the environment of our world has changed and how modern societies need to prepare for the changes to come. Archaeologists use paleoenvironmental data to help understand the living conditions for the people who lived at an archaeological site. Climatologists benefit from the archaeological studies because they show how humans in the past learned how to adapt or failed to adapt to environmental change, and how they caused environmental changes or made them worse or better by their actions. Using Proxies The data that are collected and interpreted by paleoclimatologists are known as proxies, stand-ins for what cant be directly measured. We cant travel back in time to measure the temperature or humidity of a given day or year or century, and there are no written records of climatic changes that would give us those details older than a couple of hundred years. Instead, paleoclimate researchers rely on biological, chemical, and geological traces of past events that were influenced by the climate. The primary proxies used by climate researchers are plant and animal remains because the type of flora and fauna in a region indicates the climate: think of polar bears and palm trees as indicators of local climates. Identifiable traces of plants and animals range in size from whole trees to microscopic diatoms and chemical signatures. The most useful remains are those that are large enough to be identifiable to species; modern science has been able to identify objects as tiny as pollen grains and spores to plant species. Keys to Past Climates Proxy evidence can be biotic, geomorphic, geochemical, or geophysical; they can record environmental data that range in time from yearly, every ten years, every century, every millennium or even multi-millennia. Events such as tree growth and regional vegetation changes leave traces in soils and peat deposits, glacial ice and moraines, cave formations, and in the bottoms of lakes and oceans. Researchers rely on modern analogs; that is to say, they compare the findings from the past to those found in current climates around the world. However, there are periods in the very ancient past when the climate was completely different from what is currently being experienced on our planet. In general, those situations appear to be the result of climate conditions that had more extreme seasonal differences than any weve experienced today. It is particularly important to recognize that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were lower in the past than those present today, so ecosystems with less  greenhouse gas  in the atmosphere likely behaved differently than they do today. Paleoenvironmental Data Sources There are several types of sources where paleoclimate researchers can find preserved records of past climates. Glaciers and Ice Sheets: Long-term bodies of ice, such as the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, have annual cycles which build new layers of ice each year like tree rings. Layers in the ice vary in texture and color during warmer and cooler parts of the year. Also, glaciers expand with increased precipitation and cooler weather and retract when warmer conditions prevail. Trapped in those layers laid down over thousands of years are dust particles and gases which were created by climatic disturbances such as volcanic eruptions, data which can be retrieved using ice cores.Ocean Bottoms: Sediments are deposited in the bottom of the oceans each year, and lifeforms such as foraminifera, ostracods, and diatoms die and are deposited with them. Those forms respond to ocean temperatures: for example, some are more prevalent during warmer periods.Estuaries and Coastlines: Estuaries preserve information about the height of former sea levels in long sequences of alternating layers of organic p eat when the sea level was low, and inorganic silts when the sea level rose.Lakes: Like oceans and estuaries, lakes also have annual basal deposits called varves. Varves hold a wide variety of organic remains, from entire archaeological sites to pollen grains and insects. They can hold information about environmental pollution such as acid rain, local iron mongering, or run-offs from eroded hills nearby.Caves: Caves are closed systems, where average annual temperatures are maintained year-round and with a high relative humidity. Mineral deposits within caves such as stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstones gradually form in thin layers of calcite, which trap chemical compositions from outside the cave. Caves can thus contain continuous, high-resolution records which can be dated using uranium-series dating.Terrestrial Soils: Soil deposits on land can also be a source of information, trapping animal and plant remains in colluvial deposits at the base of hills or alluvial deposits in valley terraces. Archaeological Studies of Climate Change Archaeologists have been interested in climate research since at least Grahame Clarks 1954 work at Star Carr. Many have worked with climate scientists to figure out the local conditions at the time of occupation. A trend identified by Sandweiss and Kelley (2012) suggests that climate researchers are beginning to turn to the archaeological record to assist with the reconstruction of paleoenvironments. Recent studies described in detail in Sandweiss and Kelley include: The interaction between humans and climatic data to determine the rate and extent of El Nià ±o and the human reaction to it over the last 12,000 years of people living in coastal Peru.Tell Leilan in northern Mesopotamia (Syria) deposits matched to ocean drilling cores in the Arabian Sea identified a previously-unknown volcanic eruption that took place between 2075-1675 BC, which in turn may have led to an abrupt aridification with the abandonment of the tell and may have led to the disintegration of the Akkadian empire.In the Penobscot valley of Maine in the northeastern United States, studies on sites dated to the early-middle Archaic (~9000-5000 years ago), helped establish a chronology of flood events in the region associated with falling or low lake levels.Shetland Island, Scotland, where Neolithic-aged sites are sand-inundated, a situation believed to be an indication of a period of storminess in the North Atlantic. Sources Allison AJ, and Niemi TM. 2010. Paleoenvironmental reconstruction of Holocene coastal sediments adjacent to archaeological ruins in Aqaba, Jordan. Geoarchaeology 25(5):602-625.Dark P. 2008. Paleoenvironmental reconstruction, methods. In: Pearsall DM, editor. Encyclopedia of Archaeology. New York: Academic Press. p 1787-1790.Edwards KJ, Schofield JE, and Mauquoy D. 2008. High resolution paleoenvironmental and chronological investigations of Norse landnà ¡m at Tasiusaq, Eastern Settlement, Greenland. Quaternary Research 69:1–15.Gocke M, Hambach U, Eckmeier E, Schwark L, Zà ¶ller L, Fuchs M, Là ¶scher M, and Wiesenberg GLB. 2014. Introducing an improved multi-proxy approach for paleoenvironmental reconstruction of loess–paleosol archives applied on the Late Pleistocene Nussloch sequence (SW Germany). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 410:300-315.Lee-Thorp J, and Sponheimer M. 2015. Contribution of Stable Light Isotopes to Paleoenvironmental Reconstructio n. In: Henke W, and Tattersall I, editors. Handbook of Paleoanthropology. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p 441-464.Lyman RL. 2016. The mutual climatic range technique is (usually) not the area of sympatry technique when reconstructing paleoenvironments based on faunal remains. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 454:75-81.Rhode D, Haizhou M, Madsen DB, Brantingham PJ, Forman SL, and Olsen JW. 2010. Paleoenvironmental and archaeological investigations at Qinghai Lake, western China: Geomorphic and chronometric evidence of lake level history. Quaternary International 218(1–2):29-44.Sandweiss DH, and Kelley AR. 2012. Archaeological Contributions to Climate Change Research: The Archaeological Record as a Paleoclimatic and Paleoenvironmental Archive*. Annual Review of Anthropology 41(1):371-391.Shuman BN. 2013. Paleoclimate reconstruction - Approaches In: Elias SA, and Mock CJ, editors. Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science (Second Edition). Amsterdam: Elsevier. p 179-184.

The Odyssey vs. Siren Song Essay - 625 Words

Mà ³nica Callava February 9, 2010 Mrs. Pedroso Period 2 The Odyssey vs. Siren Song Some people have one inanimate object in their lives that they find so enticing that they are incapable of withstanding. One object that lures them into a deep trap not giving them any chance to resist. In Margaret Atwood’s â€Å"Siren Song† as well as Homer’s The Odyssey the one inanimate object all men cannot seem to resist is a Siren calling them in. In â€Å"Siren Song† we see a portrayal of this irresistible lure by one Siren’s song as merely a taunting boredom, while in The Odyssey the Siren is seen as a toxic desire. Both these poems portray these characteristics of the Siren through point of view, tone, and imagery. Homer’s The Odyssey is a narration†¦show more content†¦She manipulates and flatters men by telling them â€Å"Only you, only you can.† She tricks the men by telling them only they can free her from her boredom. Through the imagery of both Homer and Margaret Atwood we see the difference in the Sirenâ€℠¢s attitude in each poem. In The Odyssey, the Siren says, â€Å"honeyed voices pouring from our lips.† This imagery is a seductive tactic used by the Siren to lure the men closer. Odysseus tells us that his heart wanted more. This shows how the desire to get closer to the Siren was toxic. In â€Å"Siren Song† the Siren uses imagery to mock herself and make the reader feel bad for her. She tells us that she is â€Å"squatting on the island looking picturesque and mythical.† It is inferred that she is simply unhappy and bored where she is. The portrayals of the Siren in The Odyssey and â€Å"Siren Song† can be compared through point of view, tone, and imagery. In Homer’s poem the Siren is seen as an irresistible desire, a toxic aspiration that manipulated and captivated men to come closer. In â€Å"Siren Song† the Siren is portrayed as merely a taunting boredom. She herself tells us that to her it is boring, â€Å"But it works everyShow MoreR elatedBrains vs. Bronze Essay933 Words   |  4 PagesBrains vs. Bronze What separates a hero from a regular man? Does large muscles and courage make a hero, or intelligence and wisdom? Andrew Bernstein once said, â€Å"A hero holds purposes appropriate to man and is, therefore, a thinker.† In this instance, Odysseus in The Odyssey is the accurate definition of the epic hero. Odysseus overcomes crazed goddesses, raging seas, and vengeful gods; however, by cunning or strength? Cunning versus strength has been the age-old question concerning the ‘hero’Read MoreThe Odyssey And Trojan Women1684 Words   |  7 Pages HOMER AND EURIPIDES DEAL WITH THE SAME THEMES BUT IN DIFFERENT WAYS INTRO: Despite difference of around 400 years between them Greek poet Homer and tragedian playwright Euripides explore many of the same themes in their works the Odyssey and Trojan Women (written by each respectively). Both works are inspired by the events of 12th Century BCE Trojan War that Homer previously explored in the Iliad. The two examine the worth of cunning over brute strength, the dangers of temptation and the role ofRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 PagesJuggernaut Starbucks: A Paragon of Growth and Employee Benefits Finds Storms Boston Beer: Is Greater Growth Possible? 29 46 PART II MARKETING WARS 61 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Cola Wars: Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi PC Wars: Hewlett-Packard vs. Dell Airliner Wars: Boeing vs. Airbus; and Recent Outsourcing Woes 63 86 PART III COMEBACKS Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 McDonald’s: Rebirth Through Moderation Harley-Davidson: Creating An Enduring Mystique Continental Airlines:Read MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pages269 United Chemical Company 269 Byron vs. Thomas 271 Active Listening Exercise 272 SKILL APPLICATION 274 Activities for Communicating Supportively Suggested Assignments 274 Application Plan and Evaluation 274 274 SCORING KEYS AND COMPARISON DATA 276 Communicating Supportively 276 Scoring Key 276 Comparison Data 276 Communication Styles 276 Comparison Data 276 SKILL PRACTICE Diagnosing Problems and Fostering Understanding: United Chemical Company and Byron vs. Thomas 278 Observer’s Feedback Form

Analysis Of Ray Bradbury s Fahrenheit 451 - 2341 Words

Archetypes have been relevant throughout all of history’s collections of books, occurring in novels centuries back, and still occurring today. It is defined as a universally understood symbol, term, or statement, which others are copied, patterned, or emulated. Archetypes are often used in myths and storytelling across different cultures. The use of archetypes was advanced by Carl Jung, who suggested, â€Å"the existence of universal contentless forms that channel experiences and emotions, resulting in recognizable and typical patterns of behavior with certain probable outcomes†. While in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, water is used to represent death and rebirth, showing that our experiences can change us, and we can be re-birthed as a totally new person, while in Homer’s Odyssey, water is used to show that life is full of vast trials and adventures to overcome. The archetype of fire is also used in both novels. In Fahrenheit 451, it is used to show that even through destruction can emerge good; while in the Odyssey it is used to represent underlying doom and that no matter the situation, we are all doomed. Same archetypes, however they hold different meanings and represent different things. In both novels, water is a common archetype, reoccuring multiple times throughout both the Odyssey and Fahrenheit 451. Although representing different themes, rebirth and renewal in Fahrenheit 451, while long though journeys and tests in the Odyssey, the archetype is an important part ofShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Ray Bradbury s Fahrenheit 4511743 Words   |  7 PagesIn Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, the protagonist, Guy Montag, suddenly realizes his overwhelming discontent with life when he meets Clarisse McClean, a seventeen year old girl who introduces him to beauty of the world and the notion of questioning ones surroundings. This novel, having been released shortly after the Second Read Scare, a time when fear of communism lead to the baseless accusation of political figures by Senator McCarthy, was received with mixed reviews. However, today more so thanRead MoreAnalysis Of Ray Bradbury s Fahrenheit 451 Essay2089 Words   |  9 PagesThe analysis of Ray Bradbury s dystop ian novel, Fahrenheit 451, shows that literature as books, education and alike is abused and criminalized in the hero’s reality, who is Guy Montag. The novel’s setting is when new things seem to have totally replaced literature, fire fighters set flames instead of putting them out, the ownership of books is deserving of the law and to restrict the standard is to court demise. The oppression of literature through innovation and technology can be analyzed throughRead MoreAnalysis Of Ray Bradbury s Fahrenheit 4511722 Words   |  7 Pagesthem†. Morrison’s claim can be interpreted as meaning that heroes, whoever they may be, are people who have the courage to revolt against injustices that are viewed by most as fixed or unchangeable parts of their societies. In Ray Bradbury’s acclaimed 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451, the protagonist Guy Montag certainly qualifies as a hero as he rebels against the dystopian society he lives in, which has completely eschewed critical thinking and reading books. Montag begins to realize that this society isRead MoreAnalysis Of Ray Bradbury s Fahrenheit 4511633 Words   |  7 PagesBradbury’s Fahrenheit 451: Dissecting the Hero’s Journey to Dystopic World Each person has a perception of the world. People are capable of judging the place they live in, human beings often find it either satisfactory or not. Creative writers have displayed similar, albeit different worlds in their works. 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For example, â€Å"What happened to Professor Faber?† or â€Å"How will a couple of homeless men survive post from a nuclear war?† The conclusion of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 leaves the readerRead MoreAnalysis Of Ray Bradbury s Fahrenheit 451 Essay1311 Words   |  6 PagesAuthored by Ray Bradbury in 1953, Fahrenheit 451, a descriptively written science fiction, presents its readers with his bitterly satirical view of the foreboding future and the consequences that may come with it. The novel depicts a dystopian society in which freedom of expression and thought is limited and books are outlawed. Written after WWII, when book burning and the blacklisting or censorship of films was a common threat. Technological advances were beginning to spread and therefore, influencingRead MoreAnalysis Of Ray Bradbury s Fahrenheit 451 1815 Words   |  8 PagesRay Bradbury was a well-known author who happe ned to write several novels, books, and short stories. 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Pop Music Art or Noise free essay sample

Music is such an essential part of humanity. For every generation is a different set of music. Some maybe strange to hear and some too noisy to understand. There are lots of kinds music, Jazz, rock, country music, folk, classical, pop music and others. But the most youth oriented kind of music is pop music. Today, Pop music is relatively clear medium of communication of youth to Its pears and surroundings. Older generations and youngsters may sometimes established conflicts with this type of music. They moieties call it generation gap, but Its not. Its Just a matter of familiarity and preference. Pop music is not necessarily a taboo for the old generation. They love pop music too. Endurance of loud sounds to the sensitive auditory nerves of older people makes the difference In preference. But understanding can patch up the difference. Lowering the volume of sounds can make a big difference In respect to the older people. We will write a custom essay sample on Pop Music : Art or Noise or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Pop music Is definitely not a noise. It Is a very expressive means to bring happiness, sadness, fear and hopes. It may pass many changes In tempo, rhythm and beat but the soul in every pop song will always be there.This is the most artful and most beautiful way of bringing out the innermost feelings of a persons mind and body. It releases the exuberant energies of the youth for so to have a clear mind, away from drugs and far from emotional breakdown. Pop music have so much liveliness, its not a dragged. Can you imagine the life of a highly energetic youngster in the music of Mozart, Stern and Portrait? Yes, this is an artistic classical type of USIA but it does not match the rhythm of a youngster pulse.If music will be dragged than life would be lifeless. Pop music is definitely an art. An art shows lifes beauty. As the saying goes, Beauty depends on the eye of the beholder. Everything in this world is artfully made by our creator. Acceptance is only the key word. Pop music is the fastest medium of communication around the corners of the world. We may belong to different cultures but in song it will make a difference. It gives Joy and fulfillment and conveys message f love and peace to the world. For some, pop music is not their type.The elite usually prefers classical music. Pop music is for the masses , old and young, rich and poor because it truly brings out the true facets of life in this world we live in. Over the course of the 20th century, musical styles came and went but some stuck around. Disco maybe dead but pop music is an art that is here to stay. I can really define pop music is an artful arrangement of sounds across differ Pop Music : Art or Noise By alignments tedium of communication of youth to its pears and surroundings.