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Story: Climate change

Sediment cores

Sediment cores

Cores (samples) from sediment on the sea floor can provide information about past climate. Unlike ice cores, which supply direct information, sediment cores give indirect evidence. For example, to determine temperature, scientists painstakingly pick out and count plankton shells, which twist in different directions depending on the temperature of the water they grew in.

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GNS Science
Photograph by Tim Naish

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How to cite this page:

Brett Mullan and Kynan Gentry. 'Climate change', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 23-Nov-09
URL: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/climate-change/2/4