Description

This course provides students with an overview of paleoclimatology by examining the use of proxy records, such as marine and lake sediment sequences, ice cores, tree rings, corals and historical data to reconstruct past climatic conditions. Dating methods will be introduced. Throughout, we will critically analyze our understanding of past climates and environments and identify directions for future research. Topics include: abrupt climate change, human evolution and climate, biosphere-climate interactions and paleoclimate modeling.