Where Will the Rain Fall in 2100? [Slide Show]

Field work on remote Pacific islands reveals answers

BAGGED AND TAGGED: An algae mat is catalogued for later analysis. The ratio of hydrogen isotopes in preserved lipids indicates the amount of rainfall that occurred when the algae lived. Courtesy of Conor L. Myhrvold
CAREFUL CUT: When sediment is saturated with water it is cut in one-centimeter intervals and bagged. Local children seem to find the exercise entertaining, if not a bit odd. Courtesy of Conor L. Myhrvold
IT'S A WRAP: A thin slice of core is wrapped. It will be locked in a protective case for its return to the lab. Courtesy of Conor L. Myhrvold
PULL!: Sachs and Nelson remove the core by pulling (extremely hard) to overcome the suction created when the tube was pounded in. Courtesy of Conor L. Myhrvold
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STICKY CHALLENGE: Julian Sachs [left] and Dan Nelson [right] repeatedly drop a weight onto an empty core tube to slowly force it down into the thick, swampy peat on Kosrae, an island in the Federated States of Micronesia. Courtesy of Conor L. Myhrvold
STANDING TALL: Trees prove handy for keeping a core vertical as thin sections are cut for the lab. Courtesy of Conor L. Myhrvold
DON'T ROCK THE BOAT: A sediment core, which holds preserved algae that reveal past rainfall, must be kept vertical and still during transit so the contents do not mix. Courtesy of Conor L. Myhrvold
WET LANDING: Entry is only possible at low tide. Courtesy of Conor L. Myhrvold
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LIB ISLAND: A promising pond awaits in the Marshall Islands. Courtesy of Conor L. Myhrvold

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