David Lea
Research project
Assimilating tropical climate proxy data from the ocean during the Last Glacial Maximum to advance climate model skill
Project summary
The proposed research focuses on a shared research interest, with researchers at CEREGE/Aix-Marseille University, in establishing the climate response and impact of the tropical oceans during the last glacial maximum (LGM), 21,000 years before present. The three major collaborative goals of the proposed research are: 1) development of a database for tropical ocean conditions during the LGM; 2) assimilation of that data into climate models; and 3) subsequent modeling of the tropical and extra-tropical climate response using the improved data. Ultimately, achieving these goals is likely to lead to major advances in proxy climate data and climate model validation and hence an improved understanding of the past, present and future response of the climate system. The proposed project has direct relevance to the broader aspects of climate change, because improvements in climate model validation will increase the quality of future climate projections, which are a critical component in developing appropriate policy responses to climate change.
