Promising Trends in Ice Core Research

Abstract

An overview of modern studies on ice cores from nonpolar regions of the Earth is presented. As an example of complex research on the territory of Russia, a description of the main results of the study of ice cores from Elbrus is given. The seasonally resolved data on the chemical and isotopic composition of the Elbrus core cover 1774–2009 reconstructed various aspects of atmospheric pollution in southeastern Europe from preindustrial times to the present day. The necessity of studying several ice cores from different regions to reconstruct the composition of the atmosphere, its pollution, and the reaction of vegetation to climate change and forest fires in Russia is shown.