Vast record of past climate fluctuations now available thanks to laser imaging of shells

(Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History) An international team has developed newly refined techniques for obtaining past climate data from mollusc shells. Mollusc shells are abundant in archaeological sites spanning the last 160,000 years. Using laser imaging, researchers have now found new ways of reconstructing how climate changed during a mollusc's lifetime, down to the seasonal level. Their technique makes it cheaper and faster to analyze these shells, opening the door to accurately map past climate in coastal areas all over the world.

from EurekAlert! - Archaeology https://ift.tt/2tSG8UP