That the Earth has been steadily warming over recent centuries is now well known. In this seminar
we discuss climate research on much longer time scales, the emphasis being on the research
methods involved in making statements concerning the climate of the past. This provides abundant
evidence of abrupt past climate change, For example the 2007 IPCC report says “During the last
glacial period, abrupt regional warmings (probably up to 16?C within decades over Greenland)
occurred repeatedly over the North Atlantic region”.
What is the basis for such statements? More critically, what are the uncertainties associated with
these? And what are the implications of such uncertainties for planning?
Much of the story is now available in an accessible form for a general audience. The National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (see web pages below) provides the skeleton for
the seminar. Several useful Wikipedia pages elaborate on detail. The popular science books by Fagan
and Diamond provide examples of the impact of past climate change on past civilisations.
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