Scientists found tiny bubbles in old ice from Antarctica. These bubbles showed that wildfires happened when the climate changed quickly.
Usually, we know that temperature changes, rain differences, and methane spikes are signs of climate change. But fires were not part of this story before.
Ben Riddell-Young, a lead scientist, said, “We were not looking for fire signals at first.” They wanted to understand why methane levels went up during climate changes in the past.
Their ice core samples go back 67,000 years and show air trapped in the ice. They used special machines to study this methane.
Each sample took four hours to analyze. They found a big change in the methane’s isotopes, which told them a lot.
When methane comes from living things, it shows a specific pattern. But if it comes from deep inside the Earth, it looks different.
The team found that when climate changed quickly, wildfires also increased. This was something we didn’t know before.
This study helps us understand how climate and fire are connected. It is important as wildfires become more common today.
Vocabulary List:
- Methane /ˈmɛθ.eɪn/ (noun): A colorless odorless gas that is a primary component of natural gas and a potent greenhouse gas.
- Isotopes /ˈaɪ.sə.toʊps/ (noun): Variants of a particular chemical element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.
- Analyzed /ˈæn.ə.laɪzd/ (verb): Examined in detail in order to understand or explain something.
- Climate /ˈklaɪmət/ (noun): The long-term average of weather patterns in a particular area.
- Wildfires /ˈwaɪld.faɪərz/ (noun): Uncontrolled fires that occur in wildland areas often exacerbated by dry conditions and climate change.
- Trapped /træpt/ (adjective): Caught in a tight or confined space; unable to escape.
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