A visually striking and insightful image showing two distinctive core samples extracted from an immeasurable ice field. The first core sample is pulled from just 2 meters beneath the icy surface, encompassing a thin slice of the amazingly preserved frozen landscape. The second core sample is drilled from a vast depth of 100 meters, plunging through layer after layer of compacted snow and ancient ice. Each sample portrayed beside a simplified CO2 molecule structure, alluding to varying CO2 concentrations. The image does not include any text.

Suppose you have 2 core samples. Sample 1 is from ice that is 2 meters deep and Sample 2 is from ice that is 100 meters deep. What is true about the CO2 levels in the 2 samples?

A.
The CO2 levels from the 2 samples would be the same.
B.
The CO2 level in Sample 1 would be lower than Sample 2
C.
The CO2 level in Sample 1 would be higher than Sample 2
D.
There is no way to tell the difference.
E.
None of these

E. None of these. The CO2 levels in ice cores can vary depending on various factors such as location and time period. The depth of the ice alone does not determine the CO2 levels.

B. The CO2 level in Sample 1 would be lower than Sample 2.

To determine the CO2 levels in the two samples accurately, you would need to analyze the ice cores. Generally, deeper ice cores provide a longer record of historical CO2 levels. Therefore, it is likely that the CO2 level in Sample 1 (from ice that is only 2 meters deep) would be lower than the CO2 level in Sample 2 (from ice that is 100 meters deep).

Ice cores can be analyzed using various scientific techniques such as gas chromatography or laser-based measurements. These methods involve drilling and extracting ice cores and then measuring the concentrations of gases trapped within the ice, including CO2. By analyzing the gas composition in the ice core layers, scientists can determine the historical levels of CO2.

Therefore, based on the assumption that deeper ice cores provide a longer record of historical CO2 levels, the correct answer is B. The CO2 level in Sample 1 would be lower than Sample 2.

Ice from 100 m deep would be much older. What do you know about the presence of CO2 millennia ago?