New research discovered soot preserved in Antarctic ice associated with fires set by Māori settlers in New Zealand. These settlers are the first human inhabitants of the island.
A report from The New York Times specified that finding evidence of blazes thousands of miles far is a dramatic instance of the early environmental effect of humanities, suggested the team.
Ice cores pierced from the southern continent conserved an indication of the islands' people thousands of miles far.
In terms of records of the history of humans, study authors suggested not to overlook only the uninhabited continent of Earth.
Results of the study, Hemispheric black carbon increase after the 13th-century Māori arrival in New Zealand, were published in the journal Nature.
Ice Cores in Antarctica
Since the 1960s, scientists have been digging out long cores of ice from Antarctica, Greenland, and other snowy locations.
Ice cores, composed of layers of snow that can be built up every year and compacted over time, comprise more than just ice, nonetheless. They can contain particulate matter as well, such as soot and volcanic ash that was previously airborne.
According to environmental scientist Joseph McConnell from the Desert Research Institute in Reno, Nevada. By examining the particulate matter in ice cores, the researchers can pin down past events like volcanic eruptions, major fires, and even industrial smelting.
In 2008, McConnell and his colleagues started to analyze six ice cores drilled in Antarctica. Working with approximately three-foot-long segments of ice at a time, the researchers melted each one.
They also fed the resulting liquid into an instrument that became aerosols. They then passed such aerosol particles through a laser that resulted in any soot to heat up and glow.
Soot Particles Falling Over Antarctica
Using this approach, the study investigators estimated the rate at which soot particles had fallen over Antarctica over the past two millenniums.
They discovered that four ice cores, all retrieved from continental Antarctica, showed approximately constant rates over time.
However, two other ice cores, gathered from James Ross Island on the northern Antarctica Peninsula, showed an approximately threefold uptick in soot starting in the latter part of the 13th century.
McConnell explained that such inconsistency was "baffling." He also asked about what the difference was about the northern Antarctic Peninsula.
Atmosphere of Earth
NYC Daily Post reported that researchers turned to atmospheric modeling as well to investigate the mystery further. The researchers discovered that the soot that eventually settled, specifically on James Ross Island, could have only come from several locations.
McConnell elaborated that due to the atmospheric circulation, "New Zealand, Tasmania, and Southern Patagonia fit the bill."
For them to be able to home in on the most possible source, the study authors assessed published records of charcoal identified in each of the three sites.
Charcoal has revealed the woody material was burned in a close area, and changes in its richness over time can be identified, just like soot records in ice.
Related information about Maori people is shown on Cognito's YouTube video below:
Check out more news and information on Antarctica on Science Times.
