Science. 2000 Sep 8;289(5485):1698-9. doi: 10.1126/science.289.5485.1698.
Accurate reconstructions of past climatic conditions on Earth are important for modeling future climate change. Researchers use climate "proxies" from deep-sea sediments, corals, or ice cores to reconstruct these past climatic conditions, but as Nürnberg explains in this Perspective, different techniques often give different answers. A relatively new technique, Mg/Ca paleothermometry, is a particularly promising tool, especially in conjunction with oxygen isotope measurements on the same planktonic foraminiferal specimens. The power of this method is exemplified by the study by Lea et al.
准确重建地球过去的气候条件对于模拟未来气候变化非常重要。研究人员使用深海沉积物、珊瑚或冰芯中的气候“代用指标”来重建这些过去的气候条件，但正如 Nürnberg 在这篇观点文章中所解释的那样，不同的技术通常会给出不同的答案。一种相对较新的技术，即 Mg/Ca 古温度计法，是一种特别有前途的工具，尤其是与同一浮游有孔虫标本的氧同位素测量相结合时。Lea 等人的研究证明了这种方法的威力。
