The pre-industrial Holocene is unique among past
interglacials due to a modest, but notable increase in
atmospheric CO2 and methane (CH4) during the latter half
of the period despite an expected decrease given orbital
parameters. Although the causes for this increase,
anthropogenic or natural are debated, all climate models
simulate an increase in global mean temperature in
response to the increase in the greenhouse gases. Yet,
many proxy reconstructions, interpreted to reflect the
mean annual temperatures, indicate peak temperatures in
the first half of the Holocene, arguably exceeding modern
mean annual temperatures followed by cooling through the
preindustrial period. This significant model-data
discrepancy, known as the Holocene temperature
conundrum, and the debate on the cause of the CO2
increase has undermined confidence in future climate
model predications. In this talk I’ll offer new perspectives
on both issues.
LOCATION: TRANSP:OPAQUE URL:https://www.weizmann.ac.il/EPS/events END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR