Paleoclimatology

Younger Dryas

Between 12,800 and 11,500 years ago Temperature decreased for ~1000 years and reestablished glacial conditions. Warming to interglacial conditions took less then 10 years and increased by 8ºC

drier

Create a ratio where greater value = more dry-associated plants = _____ conditions

forams

Emiliani used _____ to establish changes in climate from deep sea sediment cores in the 50's.

Emiliani

He established that the Earth fluctuates from periods of extreme cold to warm periods (Interglacials)

rainfall

Lakes with no outlet rise & fall with changes in _____ amount

oscillations

Natural ranges and shifts in climate from one extreme to another, known as

stalagmites

Steep mounds or spikes of calcium carbonate that grow up from the floor of a cave

Paleoclimatology

Study & reconstruction of climate over the history of the Earth typically focusing on times and locations without direct human observation and records

future climates

Study of paleoclimate crucial to understanding

1

Temps fluctuate by less than __ degree worldwide average in Holocene (modern interglacial) Precipitation changes often drastic

glacials

The colder periods

proxies

a preserved record of something where changes in the record are controlled by the weather Discover a preserved record of something that is controlled by weather 'Translate' into rainfall, temperature, etc A lot of sleuthing and ingenious methods

drier conditions

active sand dunes exist in ____

grassy

environment associated with drier

forested

environment associated with wetter

vegetation stabilize

for sand dunes wetter conditions promote _____ and_______

Holocene

from the end of the last glacial maximum ~12,000 years ago through the present

ice cores

go back 2 millino years from greenland and antarctica dust trapped in ice

interglacials

of much warmer conditions

11

over ____ glacial cycles over the past two million years

Quaternary Holocene

the bulk of paleoclimate research is devoted to the _______ Period and the _________

windier drier

the more dust in ice cores means the _____ and _____ conditions

quaternary

the period lasting 2.6 million years ago to present

pollen

tiny reproductive cells of plants

120 years

weather records only go back

dripping rainwater

what are stalagmites created from

multi-proxy approach

where several individual proxy records are combined to produce a single climate story

west

winds blowing from the ____ will blow gold sand onto the site

east

winds blowing from the ____ will blow silver sand onto the site