Identifying New Community-Driven Science Themes for NSF's Support of Paleoclimate Research

Sediments, ice, corals, and trees are just some of the natural storehouses of information that help tell the complicated history of Earth's climate. Paleoclimate researchers use these "proxies," in combination with numerical models, to gain understanding of the magnitudes, rates, and drivers of past climate variability with the goal of informing understanding of current and future change in Earth's climate system. The Paleo Perspectives on Climate Change (P2C2) program of the National Science Foundation (NSF) has advanced paleoclimate research through proxy development, data-model comparisons, and synthesis work, and has facilitated interdisciplinary collaboration that has contributed to the growth of the field. This new publication highlights discussions at a June 2021 workshop that focused on identifying potential future paleoclimate research directions to further advance understanding of past climate and better inform the public and decision makers about the expected future.

Table of Contents


Front Matter
Overview
Introduction
Understanding Past Climate Forcings and Sensitivity
Glacial, Ocean, and Land Processes and Feedbacks
Resolving Regional Climate Change: Advancing and Synthesizing Knowledge
How the Paleoclimate Community Can Better Engage on BAJEDI Issues
Closing Thoughts
References
Appendix A: Statement of Task
Appendix B: Biographical Sketches of Planning Committee Members
Appendix C: Workshop Agenda