Paleoclimatology “The present is the key to the past” James Hutton Arne Winguth, Liz Griffith, and Cornelia Winguth

What is paleoclimatology? Paleoclimatology is the study of changes in climate during the history of Earth. Climate is the weather conditions prevailing in an area over a long period.

How can we reconstruct the climate of the past? Climate of the past can explored by Rocks and sediments on land Marine sediments Ice cores Tree rings Fossil records from ancient plants and animals Pollen records Climate modeling

Catwalk Derrick, Drill Floor Labs, Living, … Saying farewell to the JOIDES Resolution Arrival in Mumbai, INDIA After 2 months at sea Catwalk Derrick, Drill Floor Labs, Living, … May 2015, from water taxi

Sediment core retrieved from borehole as part of the International Ocean Drilling Program

Labeling the core sections Cutting open the core sections Just a handful of processes that occur in the labs on the ship… after the core is drilled Sampling the core for paleomag Describing the changes in the core… Looking for fossils in the sediment

Extinction of Microplankton (Foraminifera) Cibicidoides alleni, extinct at the Paleocene-Eocene boundary; Courtesy Ellen Thomas, Yale University

Climate models using complex math like the “Primitive Equations” Equations of Motion First and Second Law of Thermodynamics Equation of continuity (mass conservation)

Global general circulation models predict climate for the atmosphere and ocean Climate models simulate the flow of mass and energy. are highly complex. use cells to model oceans and the atmosphere. depend on good data. are increasingly accurate. lack regional resolution. Climate science uses fastest computer in the world to solve complex mathematical equations for millions of boxes

Model-Data Differences Early Eocene 56 Million Years Ago