The significant thing about ice cores is that the evidence they present is direct. What is found in ice cores are the actual constituents that were in the atmosphere when they were deposited chronologically. Contained in each annual layer of ice are particulate matter and air bubbles containing an assortment of useful ions.
Up to a certain point. One can't for example just look at how much radioactivity a whole sample has and kind of average it out or some such.
So, now we need to look at ice that is on the bottom of the pile...name some useful ions or visual features etc that is 'useful'?
One of the cornerstones of ice core research is of course the ratio of oxygen isotopes trapped in the ice. The ratio of heavy and light oxygen (d 18O/16O) is temperature dependent, thus two important sets of data can be extracted for this.
In this state, yes. However, how would we know if that was true before we can prove this state existed?
So, each summer and winter will be seen as an oscillation, revealing both summer and winter in each annual layer.
That is the process that now produces certain things, yes. But that cannot be used all the way back beyond where we know our laws did exist. (which in real time I guess was likely about 4500 years)
Also those isotope ratios are temperature sensitive, surface temperature can be extracted at the time of deposition.
Naturally when extracted in this state our laws would mean that they were temperature sensitive..so?
Unless the laws were the same for the ice real deep down, then we cannot attribute temperature as the cause as we now can.
Additionally, the ratio of heavy and light hydrogen (1H/2H) yield the same data. This is not only an easily verifiable cross check, but 1H/2H ratios also yield a finer resolution of detail than the oxygen isotopes.
Slow down. That is pretty vague. In what way are the ratios tested deep down? In what way would we see anything there that would not be expected considering it too is now in our state?
There are also other ions that yield annual information. Some of these include Na+, Cl-, SO4= and NO3-.
Same issue. Just because some process under our present laws produces a certain ratio of isotopes, that would not mean all such isotopes were produced in this state! It is possible that what are now daughter or parent materials were not any such thing, but still existed doing whatever they did under the former laws! So..unless you FIRST prove that a present state existed about all you can say is ' under the present laws and decay, in the last 10 years, or 100 years (or some known time) this known decay process was responsible for the isotopes within THAT time.
As mentioned in the OP, another annual oscillation is that of dust. Peak dust accumulation occurs in the spring, thus still another independent reference not only for determining annual layers but the season as well withing that annual layer.
That well may be a time indication now, in this state. However good luck making a case that there also was no dust in the former state!
Still another and extremely useful indicator is electrical conductivity, which also varies with season. Unlike the ion analysis, ECM can be performed very rapidly.
Right, and that conducts in this state as it would conduct. In what way can you show us deep core ice, that has ecm and that whatever is conducting electric charges was laid down IN this state? I mean I see no surprise that we have laws that now work a certain way. That does not mean a thing regarding how a former state worked.
Again, the important thing to remember is that with ice cores, these are direct measurements that have been frozen in time. Ice cores are literally a time machine.
No. They are no such thing. They are cold water with some stuff in it that we try to explain as having been a result of present state things. That is your problem. Of course it is all well and good to go back as far (and only as far) as we KNOW our state existed. In that case (or most of it) yes, it is a clock. But don't start setting any clocks beyond that, that result in opposing stories to what God told us please.
