Synoptic Paleoclimatology

Projecting regional climate change over the next century remains challenging due to the chaotic nature of weather, but it is made more reliable through reconstructions of paleoweather in relation to climate change in atmospheric and ocean circulation, winds, waves, currents and precipitation. This primer presents a cross-disciplinary treatment of large-scale and synoptic climatology to the reconstruction of past climates under the umbrella of synoptic paleoclimatology, providing the theory and application of synoptic paleoclimatology to the study and prediction of future climate evolution. Climate proxy and data-model assimilation methodologies are described in detail, focusing on coasts, the surface ocean, glaciers and ice sheets. It also presents a state-of-the-art synthesis of regional climate history across the Southern Hemisphere, including tropical coral reefs, coasts, alpine glaciers and Antarctica. This book will be invaluable to advanced students, researchers and practitioners in climatology, paleoclimatology, meteorology, coastal geoscience, glaciology, oceanography, global change and climate-risk assessment.