Name _____________________________________________________________ Date _______________________

Lab: How do we know what the climate was like in the past?

Introduction:

For those who know how to interpret them, pond sediments can provide important records of the
past. Information from layer after layer of sediments can be put together to construct a timeline
of the history of a pond site. In the early 1990s, a group of scientists and students went to
Allamuchy Pond in northern New Jersey (see Figure 1.1 below). They collected a 10 meter long
cylinder of sediments called a core by inserting a long metal tube vertically into the bottom of
the pond. The recovered sediments included fragments of rocks, mud, and organic material.
The scientists removed pollen from each layer of the sediments and studied their samples under
a microscope (see Figure 1.2 below). They identified each type of pollen in order to learn what
types of plants were living in the area at different times in the past. They also described the
overall type of sediment present in each section of the core.

Guiding Questions:

1. What can you learn about past climate by looking at the pollen record from the
bottom of a pond?
2. How does climate in the early 21st century differ from past climate in that same
area?

Helpful Facts:

Glaciers leave deposits of unsorted sediments.

Running water leaves deposits of sorted sediments.
Pollen is produced by plants.
 Pine, spruce, and oak are types of trees.

Directions:

1. (a) Draw two horizontal lines across the graph below, labeled Figure 1.3: one at
14,000 years ago and one at 10,000 years ago. Each line should go all the way from the
right side of the graph (age axis) to the left side of the graph (depth axis). - 2 Points

(b) Label the oldest sediment and the youngest sediment on the graph. - 2 Points

2. TREES - According to the data,

(a) what types of tree were present in the region prior to 14,000 years ago? - 1 Point

(b) What types of trees were present in the region between 14,000 and 10,000 years ago?
- 1 Point
 (c) What types of trees were present in the region between 10,000 and 7,000 years ago? -
1 Point
3. SEDIMENTS
(a) What sediments were present prior to 14,000 years ago? - 1 Point
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(b) What deposited these sediments? (HINT: Look back at the Helpful Facts.) - 1 Point
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(c) Why do you think the sediments older than 14,000 years ago have no pine, spruce, or
oak pollen? - 2 Points
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(c) What sediments were present after 14,000 years ago? - 1 Point
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(d) What deposited these sediments? - 1 Point

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 4. CLIMATE
Scientists use the present climates in which trees live to help them understand past
climates. The maps below show which types of trees live in which climates today.

(a) What kind of tree is found in the coldest locations?

______________________________ - 1 Point
(b) When were these trees present at Lake Allamuchy?

___________________________ - 1 Point
(c) What kind of tree is found in the warmest locations?

_____________________________ - 1 Point
 (d) When were these trees present at Lake Allamuchy?

______________________________ - 1 Point
(e) Based on your answers to a-d, is is getting warmer or colder at Lake

Allamuchy? ______________ 1 -Point

5. What event in geologic history do you think is recorded in the Allamuchy Pond
sediments? Explain your answer using information from questions 2, 3, AND 4. -
3 Points