Oxygen- isotope analysis: A) is very simple. B) relies on the fact that ¹⁶O evaporates from the ocean more readily than ¹⁸O. C) has been shown to be of little or no use in the study of past climatic changes. D) cannot be carried out on ice cores or sea floor sediments, but works well for tree ring analysis.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Oxygen-isotope analysis relies on the fact that the lighter isotope of oxygen, oxygen-16, evaporates from the ocean more readily than the heavier isotope, oxygen-18. This difference in evaporation rates creates a predictable ratio of oxygen isotopes in different materials, which can be used to infer various environmental conditions.

Oxygen- Isotope Analysis