ACE Report: How to Get Past Temperature from an Ice Core
Provided by: ACE|Published on: March 30, 2021|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Articles/Websites
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences
Authors: ACE
Location: Polar Regions
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This brief text explains how to get past temperatures from an ice core and provides a basic explanation of isotopes.
- This resource includes a student worksheet that features comprehension questions and a link to additional isotope information from NASA.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This reading could help students understand how past temperatures are estimated using ice cores.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students will need to have a basic scientific understanding of the parts of an atom.
- Teachers will need to make a free account to access the materials.
Differentiation
- Using the Google Document the teacher can adjust the questions for understanding to ensure that students at various levels are being challenged at the appropriate level.
- As an extension, students could read the article linked.
- A teacher could use this resources as a way to activate students' prior chemistry knowledge or to provide all students with a base understanding of paleoclimatology using ice cores.
- Similar resources include this video about ice cores, this lesson about isotopes, and video showing scientists taking ice cores.
Students will be able to estimate past temperatures from ice cores using isotopes of oxygen and carbon (fractionation) to understand their behavior and rate of decay. This resource is recommended to teach paleoclimatology.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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