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Paleo Perspectives

Paleo Perspectives describe the long-term climate record derived from paleoclimatology data for time periods that pre-date the instrumental measurements used for modern weather and climate analysis. Each piece uses the paleo record to provide insight on a societally-relevant issue, and explain the natural variability of Earth’s climate over interannual, decadal, centennial, millennial, and other time scales. Each perspective links to corresponding scientific research results and datasets.


Abrupt Climate Change

This perspective describes different instances of rapid and dramatic climate changes throughout history, and explores both the causes and effects of these changes. 

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Global Warming

This perspective places current warming into a context that spans millions of years, and highlights the way paleo data informs our understanding of global warming.

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Colorado River Streamflow

This perspective assesses the gauged record of Colorado River streamflow in the context of multi-century flow reconstructions from tree rings.

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