New method to accurately measure ocean temperature

Researchers have developed a more accurate new method to measure ocean temperatures by evaluating the accumulation of rare gases (also called inert or precious gases) found in Antarctic ice , through It helps to draw conclusions about changes in sea temperature from the last ice age to the present.

In the study published by the Federal Laboratory for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA) on January 5, a group of international scientists, including EMPA researchers and the University of Bern , developed a method of using Antarctic ice cores to more accurately measure global ocean average temperatures over the past 24,000 years, the period of transition from the last ice age.

Measuring the average temperature of the ocean is complex and often misleading due to changes in position and seasons.

Accordingly, the permafrost in this area has formed an "atmospheric storehouse" containing air bubbles or rare gases such as krypton, xenon and argon .

Because cold water absorbs rare gases from the atmosphere and warm water releases them, the accumulation of rare gases in the ice bubbles in the ice core can help scientists estimate the average temperature of the ocean at the time. this period.

By using this method, the researchers determined an increase of 2.6 degrees Celsius in the average temperature of the ocean over a 10,000-year period.

In addition, the team also believes that this method can theoretically be applied to monitor current temperature changes, instead of being used only to identify large-scale changes as in the period. transition from the last ice age to the present. This plays an important role because when the global climate warms up, the giant is the place where most of the heat is absorbed.

So far, measuring the average temperature of the ocean is complex and often misleading due to changes in position, season and ocean depth.

According to the EMPA, the idea of ​​considering the relationship between the accumulation of atmospheric rare gases and the average temperature of the ocean is a right method and results in determining changes in the temperature of the ocean. positive.