CL
Climate: Past, Present & Future

Climate of the Past

The rabbit and the tortoise – what does a glacial cycle need to be a glacial cycle?

June 2, 2025
The rabbit and the tortoise – what does a glacial cycle need to be a glacial cycle?
Figure 1. Erratic boulder from the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone in Yellowstone National Park. Credit to Michael Poland (from usgs.gov).

The climate is not what it used to be and it will never be the same again. This is what the models say. Where does this knowledge come from? In short, we learn it from the clues that nature left on the planet since its formation. And it is precisely with these observations where our story begins. Since the beginnings of mountaineering, many visitors of the Alps and other mountain ranges have wonde ...[Read More]

Early farmers of the Pacific recorded in sediment cores from Vanuatu

and May 13, 2025
Early farmers of the Pacific recorded in sediment cores from Vanuatu
A schematic landscape of Vanuatu depicting some of the signals that can be transported and preserved in the sediment. Fecal markers, indicating the presence of human and pigs, palmitone as a proxy specific for taro, charcoal as a proxy for burning. The combination of these proxies is used as indication of human presence. Figure from Camperio, 2024, PhD Thesis.

The Pacific Ocean is a vast expanse that is punctuated by diverse islands and archipelagos. Some of these islands closer to Asia and the Australian landmass have been home to humans for tens of millennia. Others – spread across Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia – make up Remote Oceania and were only settled by humans within the past few thousand years. Archeological investigations have provided ...[Read More]

Misinterpretation of glacial aridity in subtropical environments in the Southern Hemisphere

and March 11, 2024
Misinterpretation of glacial aridity in subtropical environments in the Southern Hemisphere
Figure 2. A chamber in one of the Naracoorte caves beautifully decorated with speleothem formations. Source: Rieneke Weij.

To understand Earth’s changing climate, scientists often examine how the climate has varied in the past, by studying geological records. These records allow us to reconstruct past climates and help us predict planet’s responses to different climate forcings. In this context, it has long been thought that past ice ages on Earth were relatively dry, whereas the warm periods between ice ages we ...[Read More]

Spotlighting the Climate Division’s sessions for EGU24

January 31, 2024
Spotlighting the Climate Division’s sessions for EGU24

Dear community of climate enthusiasts and EGU lovers, We know that being part of the EGU is not just about staying in the loop with the latest geoscience works – especially when it comes to our all-time favorite realm of sciences: climate sciences 🤩. It is also an amazing opportunity to spark exciting collaborations and expand your network with scientists from all over Europe and the world. EGU is ...[Read More]