paleoclimate

[ pey-lee-oh-klahy-mitor, especially British, pal-ee- ]

noun

1. the climate of some former period of geologic time.

Word History and Origins

Origin of paleoclimate¹

First recorded in 1920–25; paleo- + climate

Example Sentences

Carbon cycle models calibrated with paleoclimate datasets form the basis for scientists' understanding of the global marine carbon cycle and how it responds to natural perturbations.

From Science Daily

But according to a study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that pulls together fossil data, ancient DNA, and paleoclimate models, the ferocious beast likely met its end for the same reason that many other giant ice age animals died out: a combination of climate change and human hunting.

From Science Magazine

However, he warned against drawing too many conclusions from a single paleoclimate study, saying it “paints one little part of the picture.”

From Los Angeles Times

"The paleoclimate record includes long periods that were on average much warmer or colder than the current climate, and we know that there were big climate forcings from ice sheets and greenhouse gases during those periods," Cooper said.

From Science Daily

Researchers including co-author Gregory Hakim, a UW professor of atmospheric sciences, have created new statistical modeling techniques that allow paleoclimate records to be assimilated into computer models of Earth's climate, similar to today's weather forecasting models.

From Science Daily