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paleoclimatology

paleoclimatology

1 9.9
The study of Earth's past climate using ice cores and tree rings
  • noun
  • /ˌpeɪliˌoʊklaɪˈmætələdʒi/
  • Specialized
: paleoclimatología
  • Scientists use paleoclimatology to understand how ancient climates have changed and what that means for today's climate.

Examples

  • ... noted, though, that tree ring paleoclimatology is an inexact science, and as we've seen, even a single tree can go a long way to distorting the output.

    Blog text (17)
  • Getting back to the science, other venues for exploring the methodological legitimacy of paleoclimatology include the American Geophysical Union and the American Geographical Association.

    Blog text (8)
  • North cited his earlier career work in paleoclimatology as a basis for his expert opinion.

    Blog text (8)
  • The data from paleoclimatology provides a more credible explanation for the recent temperature spikes, based on the natural cycle of ice ages.

    Blog text (16)
  • Admittedly, the uncertainties represent the main weakness of paleoclimatology and paleoceanography in contrast to modern climatology and oceanography.

    Academic text (2002)
  • The data from paleoclimatology, including ice cores, sea sediments, geology, paleobotany, and zoology, indicate we are now on the brink of another ice age, and the data also show that severe and lasting climate change can occur within a few years.

    Blog text (16)
  • Thanks to the new paleoclimatology, we can look for the first time at the intricate relationships between sudden, major climatic events such as El Niño or droughts and the continued viability of human societies of every kind.

    Academic text (2006)
  • The research in paleoclimatology revealed that the Earth's temperature fluctuated significantly over the last million years.

  • Experts in paleoclimatology analyze ice cores to gather evidence about historical climate conditions.

Surface Forms

Morphology

paleoclimatology = climatology (transparent) = paleo + climatology

Formed by prefixing 'paleo-' (meaning 'ancient') to the established field 'climatology', yielding 'study of ancient climates' in a straightforward way.

Etymology

The word paleoclimatology breaks into paleo- meaning 'old', climate, and -ology meaning 'study', so it means the 'study of old climates'. That's why scientists look at ice cores, tree rings and rocks to learn about Earth's past weather.