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WAEarth and Environmental ScienceQuick questions
Unit 4: Earth hazards and climate change
Quick questions on Climate proxies: tree rings, pollen, corals and sediments: WACE Year 12 Earth and Environmental Science
4short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What are tree rings?Show answer
Trees in seasonal climates add one growth ring a year, and the ring's width and density depend on conditions.
What is pollen?Show answer
Plants release distinctive pollen that settles and is preserved in the layers of lake beds and bogs.
What are corals?Show answer
Corals build skeletons in annual bands, like trees.
What are combining proxies?Show answer
No single proxy is perfect: tree rings are precise but short, sediments are long but coarse, and each can be affected by factors other than climate. Scientists therefore combine proxies, cross-checking them and against ice cores, to build reliable reconstructions. Agreement between independent proxies strengthens confidence that the reconstruction reflects real climate change.
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