Quote:
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Originally Posted by KenWittlief
it really bothers me that the history of the temperature of the earth is based on several assumptions and many second order effects
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True, but they're mainly based upon a well-tested, peer-reviewed and correllated proxy for temperature: the deuterium/oxygen isotopic ratio. First demonstrated by
Willi Dansgaard in 1964, measurements of these trace gases trapped in ice core bubbles give a fairly accurate record of the temperature and atmospheric moisture content in the past. It may not be a direct measurement, but if it's good enough to be published in
Science,
Nature and a host of others, I figure it's good enough for me!