PAGES Magazine articles
Phoebe Tsz-Wai Chan1 and Víctor Merino-Campos2
1st PAGES Early-Career Network workshop, Prague, Czech Republic, 26-29 May 2019
For the first time in its (young) history, the PAGES Early-Career Network (ECN; pastglobalchanges.org/ecn) organized a workshop for early-career researchers (ECRs) who are or will be looking for funding in science in the near future. The main goals of this workshop, titled "Funding starts here" (calendar/26908), were to:
- introduce ECRs to the different funding agencies and opportunities available in Europe and the United States
- provide a framework for understanding the grant-writing process – from writing to submission and review – based on strategies and advice given by invited speakers (see Fig. 1)
The workshop was centered around five invited speakers who have either had experience as an applicant and/or served on the evaluation panel of different funding agencies (e.g. the European Research Council (ERC), Horizon 2020, Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions and the US National Science Foundation (NSF)).
Grant writing is central to launching, advancing, and maintaining careers in academia. However, the grant-writing process is long and arduous, often taking several attempts before success is achieved. As Chung et al. (2008) pointed out, fewer and fewer proposals are being funded even though more applications are being submitted each year. This means that there is increased pressure to excel at writing grant proposals. Therefore, having the opportunity to receive advice from experienced professionals can greatly improve our chances of achieving our research goals.
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Figure 1: Funding cycle summarizing the steps of the grant-writing process based on the main learnings from the workshop. Advice is pointed out at different stages of the cycle. |
The workshop kicked off with an ice-breaker dinner at a local restaurant offering traditional Czech cuisine, where we had the opportunity to meet and mingle with fellow ECRs. The next morning, we were welcomed by the PAGES ECN organizing committee, followed by an introduction to the main components of a research grant proposal by the first invited speaker, Petr Kuneš. Petr explained what should be considered when writing the different parts of a proposal, along with some practical tips for grant writing. Special emphasis was placed on having ambitious yet concrete and achievable goals. The next speaker, Jonas Bunikis, offered tips and advice for applying to the ERC and highlighted best practices as well as common mistakes in the application process. Later, Alessio Rovere shared an inspirational story about his ERC starting-grant success and provided a very real look at what it takes to be successful in writing ERC starting grants.
On the second day, Jana Čejková introduced opportunities and eligibility requirements within the Horizon 2020 and Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions programs, while Maria Uhle described the structure of the US NSF funding system, with a particular focus on the opportunities available to ECRs in the paleosciences. During the workshop, participants also had the opportunity to work together and apply their newfound knowledge in the development of a three-year research project of their own design. On the last day, participants presented their group’s research ideas, following the previously outlined components of a research proposal, which was then assessed with feedback from peers and the expert panelists.
The PAGES ECN "Funding starts here" grant-writing workshop provided valuable information for PhD students and researchers in the early stages of their careers. It introduced them to opportunities available in Europe and North America, answered vital questions about the grant-writing and evaluation processes, and gave participants hands-on experience in developing a research proposal. The meeting resulted in a special interdisciplinary and cultural exchange, where young researchers from different nationalities came together to learn and share knowledge and experiences. We are thankful to have been a part of this experience!
affiliations
1Department of Earth Science and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen, Norway
2Doctoral program in Biological Sciences, National University of Mar del Plata, Argentina
contact
Phoebe T.W. Chan: phoebe.chan
uib.no
Víctor Merino-Campos: vmerinomdp.edu.ar
references
Asfawossen Asrat
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 28 March 2019
PAGES' 2019 Scientific Steering Committee (SSC; pastglobalchanges.org/about/structure/scientific-steering-committee) and Executive Committee meetings were held from 25-27 March 2019 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, hosted by the School of Earth Sciences of Addis Ababa University. Following the meetings, a one-day Paleoscience Symposium on paleoclimates and paleoenvironments was held at the College of Natural and Computational Sciences of Addis Ababa University. Finally, SSC members participated in a two-day field excursion to the Main Ethiopian Rift from 29-30 March 2019.
The symposium (pastglobalchanges.org/calendar/2019/127-pages/1930) was co-organized and hosted by the African Center of Excellence for Water Management (ACEWM) and well attended by ~100 participants including PAGES SSC members, staff members of the College, early-career researchers, and postgraduate students of ACEWM (from Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda). The symposium featured 11 talks followed by very interactive discussions.
To start the symposium, ACEWM Director Feleke Zewge introduced the center, which is an initiative of the Government of Ethiopia and the World Bank Group. It was established to address the water challenges in Africa with a focus on eastern and southern African countries, with a particular focus on training a critical mass of Africans through short-term training and MSc/PhD degree programs as a means to address national and regional water development needs using a holistic, integrative and transformative approach.
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Figure 1: Symposium speakers included representatives of Future Earth, The PAGES Early-Career Network, the Africa Centre of Excellence for Water Management, Addis Ababa University and PAGES SSC members. |
The subsequent three talks introduced Future Earth (Hannah Moersberger), PAGES (Marie-France Loutre) and the PAGES Early-Career Network (Stella Alexandroff; Fig. 1). These talks, besides highlighting the major features and objectives of the respective networks, emphasized the need for African researchers to be actively involved in the associated initiatives and activities, and indicated some possible avenues for such involvement. These talks prompted an extended discussion on the challenges African researchers, and particularly early-career researchers, face in their endeavors to network and collaborate with research initiatives and groups in other parts of the world.
The ensuing presentations by SSC members focused on paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental studies from various parts of the world. These included an overview of recent products and progress of the PAGES 2k Network focusing on Africa2k (Mike Evans), reliability of future climate model predictions with particular emphasis on the challenges of modeling the hydrological cycle in North Africa (Paul Valdes), past perspectives on tipping elements in the Atlantic Ocean and South America (Cristiano Chiessi), and the use of paleoecology in exploring ecosystem resilience at biome boundaries in southern Africa (Lindsey Gillson). The afternoon session featured some examples of paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental research in Ethiopia, particularly on speleothem paleoclimatology (Asfawossen Asrat) and paleoecology and tree-ring paleoclimatology (Zewdu Eshetu), as well as the impacts of climate change on the future of coffee farming in Ethiopia (Sebsebe Demissew).
The presentations piqued the interest of many of the postgraduate students who raised several interesting and challenging questions, making the sessions truly interactive. The sessions, as well as the coffee breaks, helped postgraduate students and early-career researchers to freely interact with SSC members. The symposium successfully achieved its objectives of providing targeted information about Future Earth, PAGES and the PAGES Early-Career Network and aroused the interest of many young African researchers who plan to champion the causes of these networks and initiatives. At the same time, the symposium helped these young Africans interact, discuss and network with prominent paleoscientists from various parts of the world, and explore possible avenues of collaboration.
affiliation
School of Earth Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
contact
Asfawossen Asrat: asfawossen.asrataau.edu.et
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Armand Hernández1, B. Martrat2, L. Comas-Bru3, C. Martin-Puertas4, P. Moffa-Sánchez5, E. Moreno-Chamarro6, P. Ortega6 and D. Swingedouw7
Barcelona, Spain, 25-27 September 2019
The spatial structure of climate variability follows recurrent patterns, often referred to as modes of climate variability. The modes are suitable tools for understanding regional climate patterns on different spatio-temporal scales, which are in turn closely related to energy production, food security, and key ecosystem services like oceanic and terrestrial CO2 uptake and water availability (e.g. Jerez et al. 2013; Bastos et al. 2016; Zubiate et al. 2017). It is thus essential to improve our understanding of the evolution of climate modes of variability and their interactions at a global scale during the current interglacial period (i.e. the Holocene, covering the past 11,700 years). This is crucial to: (i) understand the potential variability of these modes and estimate their response to external forcing at the wide range of temporal scales, and (ii) evaluate the ability of different climate models to reproduce them robustly, given that identifying the most reliable simulations narrows down uncertainty in future near-term fluctuations in climate and associated hazards.
For three days, 25 participants – including seven early-career researchers – from 11 countries of four continents shared their expertise in the research field of modes of variability during the first joint workshop of CLIMOVAR (CLImatic MOdes of VARiability) and IBCC-lo2k (IBerian Climate Change paleoarchive – synthesis and stewardship of land-ocean data, taking the past 2000 years as a reference). CLIMOVAR, emphasizing the atmospheric/oceanic dimension of the climate modes, aligns well with the IBCC-lo2k initiative, which synthesizes and preserves the climate measurements of the past, integrating land and ocean data of the Iberian region. In this sense, the meeting provided a unique opportunity to explore synergies between paleoclimatologists using natural proxy archives, paleoclimate modelers, and statisticians, in order to better evaluate prevailing atmospheric and oceanic circulation modes on interannual-to-centennial timescales.
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Figure 1: Armand Hernández, leader of the workshop organizing team, presents the video "Climate Change: the FAQs" to the outreach event audience (comprised primarily of secondary school students) at the end of the CLIMOVAR meeting. Photo credit: Jordi Cortés. |
The CLIMOVAR/IBCC-lo2k team discussed five main topics of broad interest to the community: (i) describing climate modes of variability during the Holocene; (ii) bridging the gaps between models and climate proxy records; (iii) deciphering the role of external forcing on climate modes of variability; (iv) evaluating the impacts of climate modes of variability; and (v) assessing potential synergies with existing PAGES working groups. All topical sessions included short talks for participants to present their work and subsequent exciting discussions. Moreover, two keynote talks, discussion panels, and an outreach event (Fig. 1) completed the large variety of individual contributions.
The workshop (pastglobalchanges.org/calendar/2019/127-pages/1831) allowed us to highlight that modes of variability are different from mean-state changes, so that it is necessary to first define a mean state for a given period before correctly defining variability modes. The general consensus was to apply for a new PAGES working group with the following specific goals: (i) focus on the Holocene time windows also covered by modeling initiatives like the Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project (PMIP4); (ii) use pseudo-proxies from models to test whether it is possible to reliably reconstruct modes of variability during the selected Holocene time windows with the available proxy data and produce the actual reconstructions that are validated by the models; (iii) screen existing databases to find high-quality records necessary to reconstruct variability modes using state-of-the-art statistical approaches, including machine learning methods; (iv) evaluate the capacity of climate models to simulate changes in climatic modes of variability in response to variations in external forcing; (v) strengthen links with current working groups; and (vi) expand the group to include researchers from a variety of communities (e.g. wide regional representation, experts in each mode and key period) related to the study of modes of variability. We also agreed that the edition of a special issue based on modes of climate variability would be one of the main outputs of the working group.
The workshop also included an outreach activity at CosmoCaixa (Barcelona Science Museum) to engage secondary school students in climate change (Fig. 1). A video, entitled "Climate Change: the FAQs" (youtube.com/watch?v=l-2wR9zx7Rg), was officially released during this event. The video was created by some of the co-organizers of the workshop with the aim of answering the most common questions about climate change posed by young students. A total of 180 attendees had the opportunity to watch the video and ask additional questions during a round-table discussion with a Catalonian government representative, two science communicators, a climate-change activist, and two climatologists, all of whom work on different aspects of climate change.
affiliationS
1Institute of Earth Sciences Jaume Almera (ICTJA-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
2Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
3School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Sciences, University of Reading, UK
4Department of Geography, Royal Holloway University of London, UK
5Geography Department, Durham University, UK
6Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), Spain
7Oceanic and Continental Environments and Paleoenvironments (CNRS-EPOC), University of Bordeaux, France
contact
Armand Hernández: armandhernandezhgmail.com
references
Bastos A et al. (2016) Nat Commun 7: 10315
Jerez S et al. (2013) J Appl Meteorol Climatol 52: 2204-2224
Toward community resources for paleoclimate data assimilation, reanalysis, and proxy system modeling
DAPS workshop participants*
2nd DAPS workshop, College Park, MD, USA, 29-31 May 2019
Friends and members of the Data Assimilation, Reanalysis and Proxy System Modeling (DAPS; pastglobalchanges.org/daps) working group came together for a brief meeting (pastglobalchanges.org/calendar/2019/127-pages/1835) to discuss activities and progress since our first meeting in Louvaine-la-Neuve, Belgium, in May 2017 (doi.org/10.22498/pages.25.2.119).
Data assimilation for paleoenvironmental reconstruction: methods intercomparison
Operational systems for weather to seasonal forecasting are now modular and open platforms, allowing for automated quality control, rejection of nonconforming observations, assessment of stochastic parameterizations, uniform multivariate skill assessment, and assessment of novel approaches such as use of future forecasts (see schematic Fig. 1). By comparison with the methods used in the DAPS Data Assimilation Intercomparison Project (DAIP), we identified similarities and differences between operational online data assimilation (DA) for weather and seasonal forecasting, and offline assimilation, optimal interpolation and linear regression/transfer function approaches to paleoclimatic reconstruction (Hakim et al. 2016; Franke et al. 2017). A key question, even for offline or time-independent formulations, is whether and how to incorporate information at local versus remote scales in space. Can we trust the remote information, and at what level of filtering? Conversely, do we trust the local information? The answers likely depend on multiple approaches to skill estimation and validation of the results, at the process, data and parameter levels. Under some conditions, temporally aware data assimilation might improve results – processes for which timescales of variation are much longer than the timescales resolved by observations. For the present generation of paleo DA, this condition has not yet been met, but might be in the future, for analysis of variations associated with the intermediate and deep ocean, deep soil moisture, vegetation, and the cryosphere. These long timescales are at the heart of what might be gained from the exercise: identifying processes consistent with the observational evidence given uncertainties in all elements.
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Figure 1: Word cloud created from all abstracts submitted to ICP13. The size of each word reflects the number of times it appears in the abstract book. |
Proxy system modeling: spatial and structural considerations
We reviewed results from two Data Model Intercomparison projects (DMIP) across sensors, archives, and model complexity. Applying a bivariate linear model across marine carbonate archives identifies discrepancies between simulated and observed variance, which may be due to complex and variable growth responses. Limited validated information was retrieved from complex and nonlinear proxy system models producing tree-ring width simulations, and arose from modeling observations as bivariate indicators of both temperature and moisture variation, and under slowly changing mean climate states. However, conclusions might be sensitive to limitation by observational target and uncertainty, parameter estimation, timescale, and evaluation metrics. For more complex processes and targets, more complex models might outperform simpler ones, but require additional inputs and parameters to be specified. At present, bivariate linear regression-based PSMs may be a good point of reference and null hypothesis on PSM complexity sufficient for use in paleo reanalysis products (Zhu et al. 2019a). Advances in unified platforms for proxy system modeling and evaluation, and for exploiting digitized paleodata and metadata via the Linked Paleo Data (LiPD; lipd.net) format (Dee et al. 2015; Zhu et al. 2019b) will enable more comprehensive studies and advances in the use of PSMs in paleoclimatic data assimilation exercises.
Products and next steps
An overarching theme that emerged from our discussions, fueled by nearly intravenous espresso and homemade food, was that a common, open platform for development and assessment of approaches to paleoenvironmental data assimilation, reanalysis and proxy system modeling is sorely needed. As a result of a concentrated working session, such a community platform is being constructed (daps-pages.github.io) as a basis for ongoing work, and papers synthesizing DAIP, DMIP and challenges/outlook are developing. However, DAPS was founded as a three-year project, and will sunset in 2019 – unless new leadership proposes a second phase! If you are interested in picking up on the themes and initiatives described here, please contact the group leaders (pastglobalchanges.org/science/wg/daps/people) for more information and suggestions for doing so.
Acknowledgements
M.N. Evans would like to thank the organizers of the PAGES2k-PMIP3 Workshop, Madrid, 2013, which produced such a vigorous and productive discussion of the questions arising from comparing paleodata and climate simulations; and which inspired our personalized DAPS nametags. Funding for ECR travel and accommodation was provided by PAGES; and for an outreach event (science.umd.edu/events/scienceontap-2019-05.html), meeting space and refreshments by the University of Maryland, College Park, College of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, Geology and Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Departments, and Reena Gupta.
affiliationS
*M.N. Evans (Univ. Maryland, College Park, USA); H. Goosse (Univ. Catholique de la Louvain, Belgium); J. Emile-Geay (USC, Los Angeles, USA); F. Zhu (USC, Los Angeles, USA); S.G. Dee (Rice U., Houston, USA); J. Franke (Univ. Bern, Switzerland); J. Jeong (Vrie Univ. Amsterdam, Netherlands); J. Rezsöhazy (Univ. Catholique de la Louvain, Belgium); D.M. Thompson (Univ, Arizona, Tucson, USA); D. Amrhein (Univ. Washington, Seattle, USA); M.A. Cane (LDEO of Columbia University, Palisades, USA); A. Kaplan (LDEO of Columbia University, Palisades, USA); E. Kalnay (Univ. Maryland, College Park, USA); V. Tallapragada (NOAA/NCEP/DMAB, College Park, MD, USA); A. Okazaki (RIKEN, Kobe, Japan); A. Lawman (Univ. Texas, Austin USA); N. Wright (Australian National Univ., Canberra, Australia); S.H.S. Herho (Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia); G. Schmidt (NASA/GISS, New York, USA); M.-F. Loutre (PAGES IPO, Bern, Switzerland); L. Parsons (Univ. Washington, Seattle, USA); J. Nadimikeri (Yogi Vemana Univ, Vemanapuram, India)
contact
Michael N. Evans: mnevansumd.edu
references
Dee SG et al. (2015) J Adv Model Earth Sy 7:, 1220-1247
Franke J et al. (2017) Sci Data 4: 170076
Goosse H (2016) J Adv Model Earth Sy 8: 1501-1503
Hakim GJ et al. (2016) J Geophys Res Atmos 121: 6745-6764
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Georgina Falster1, L. Armbrecht2 and L. Missiaen3
Sydney, Australia, 2-6 September 2019
Paleoclimate records contain valuable information on long-term climate variability, providing important insights into possible future climate. Producing such records requires collaboration between researchers from many disciplines, including oceanography, climatology, physics, biology, chemistry, and geochronology. Every three years, researchers from these disciplines gather for the International Conference on Paleoceanography (ICP), to share new findings, present methodological advances, and discuss current challenges.
The 13th ICP (icp13.com.au) was held in September 2019 in Sydney, Australia, at the University of New South Wales, and was the first ICP to be held in the Southern Hemisphere. Over 430 delegates – including 140 students – from 31 different countries were warmly welcomed by the Bedegal People, the traditional custodians of this part of Australian country. Twenty-eight students and early-career researchers were awarded travel grants, including six grants awarded by PAGES.
The meeting followed the established ICP format of a small number of invited plenary speakers complemented by dedicated poster sessions. Presentations were grouped according to six main themes, covering new developments in proxies and models, the relationship of paleoclimate with biology and evolution, the carbon cycle, and ocean circulation, with a particular focus on Southern Ocean processes. The 30 plenary talks at ICP13 covered a broad range of topics, including the potential of new and established proxies, using novel numerical methods for improved paleoceanographic reconstructions, the importance of ice-ocean interactions and deep-time studies, and the challenge of bringing together information from proxy data and numerical simulations.
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Figure 1: Word cloud created from all abstracts submitted to ICP13. The size of each word reflects the number of times it appears in the abstract book. |
The breadth of paleoceanographic research being undertaken by the community was also reflected in the poster sessions, where approximately 400 posters covered spatial and temporal scales of investigation ranging from local to global, and from days to millions of years, respectively (Fig. 1). These poster sessions provided fertile ground for discussion of new research, which is a key tenet of the ICP.
Plenary talks and posters were supported by four perspective lectures and four special talks. The perspective presentations covered broader aspects of paleoceanography including atmospheric CO2 variability on different timescales, new strategies for modeling complex marine ecosystems, the influence of climate on early human migration patterns, and the degree to which variability in climate proxy data accurately reflects variability in past climates. The special talks included a tribute to the pioneering work of the late Wally Broecker, a demystification of publishing in Nature, and highlights from two ongoing programs: the Australian and New Zealand International Ocean Discovery Program Consortium (ANZIC, iodp.org.au) and the global ocean trace elements program (GEOTRACES, geotraces.org). Throughout the conference, the outstanding quality of research being undertaken by early-career researchers was highlighted by plenary speakers frequently citing ECR contributions to the work being presented. Ten graduate students also earned awards for outstanding poster presentations.
The ICP traditionally encourages social interactions and development of new collaborations, and ICP13 was no exception. Wednesday's conference dinner was held aboard the "Starship Sydney", cruising the picturesque Sydney Harbour. Delegates enjoyed spectacular sunset views of the iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge – a perfect backdrop for networking. The (in)famous "Paleomusicology" concert featured performances as diverse as the scientific presentations at ICP13, with styles ranging across classical, country, and comedy.
Official pre- and post-conference workshops included meetings of several PAGES working groups (C-SIDE, PAGES Early-Career Network, and CoralHydro2k), as well as the CROCCA2S post-cruise meeting, ICEPRO collaboration meeting, a DeepMIP meeting, and an IODP pre-proposal meeting, along with many unofficial side meetings during which delegates reinforced or built new collaborations within the paleoceanography community. Throughout the week, delegates actively promoted paleoceanography science using the #ICP13 tag on social media.
Many thanks to the ICP13 organizing committee and sponsors for such an inspiring meeting. Now it's time to look forward to the next ICP, which will be held in Bergen, Norway, from 28 August to 2 September 2022 – don’t forget your umbrella! More information at info.icp14iub.no.
affiliationS
1Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, USA
2Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, The University of Adelaide, Australia
3Climate Change Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
contact
Georgina Falster: gfalsterwustl.edu
Matthew Chadwick1,2, J. Jones3, K.-A. Lawler4, J. Prebble5, K.E. Kohfeld3 and X. Crosta6
2nd C-SIDE workshop, Sydney, Australia, 29 August–1 September 2019
The Cycles of Sea-Ice Dynamics in the Earth System working group (C-SIDE; pastglobalchanges.org/c-side) conducted its second three-day workshop which brought together 35 participants from 24 institutions in 12 countries. Following the success of the first workshop (doi.org/10.22498/pages.27.1.31), the C-SIDE working group used the second workshop (pastglobalchanges.org/calendar/26944) to achieve three main objectives: (1) refine and further develop a Southern Ocean sea-ice database; (2) compile proxy records that best complement the sea-ice records; and (3) identify model simulations for comparisons with sea-ice data. To achieve these goals, the workshop attendees spent two days in three breakout groups dedicated to these objectives, with a final day to work on the planned workshop publications.
The first breakout group worked to refine the existing inventory of Southern Ocean sea-ice records for the last 130 kyr (initiated during Workshop 1 and coordinated by J. Jones and K. Kohfeld). The focus was now on refining the data categories and using the database to identify useful records for interrogating sea-ice changes across the full glacial cycle.
The second breakout group focused on identifying and compiling complementary proxy records in the Southern Ocean that would help to establish links between sea ice and circulation, productivity, and nutrient cycling. Sea-surface temperature proxies, stable isotopes (δ18O and δ13C), ventilation proxies (εNd, radiocarbon, bottom-water oxygenation), opal fluxes, nitrogen and silica isotopes, and IRD were all identified as the most useful complementary datasets. Sea-surface temperature proxies, stable isotopes, and opal fluxes are particularly promising due to the relative wealth of existing records.
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Figure 1: (A) Locations of sediment cores with published (filled stars, darker dots) and unpublished (open stars, lighter dots) Southern Ocean sea-ice records. Stars indicate cores covering the last 130 kyr. The 1981-2010 monthly median sea-ice extent is shown for February (dashed line) and September (solid line) (Fetterer et al. 2017). (B) Cumulative number of published sea-ice records vs time from the Atlantic (green), Indian (red), and Pacific (blue) sectors of the Southern Ocean. |
The final breakout group aimed to identify model simulations that would be most helpful for comparisons with the sea-ice data. Participants identified the Last Glacial Maximum and the Last Interglacial as key intervals to be targeted because of upcoming simulations that are (or will be) part of the paleoclimate modeling projects PMIP3 and PMIP4.
Breakout discussions centred around making sure that data input followed a mutually understood, standard procedure. In particular, the group worked to clarify which data collection was ongoing, published, and unpublished. Ultimately, this allowed researchers to map regions and time periods that required better data coverage, higher resolution, and quality control. The collective work of participants resulted in a database that shows the wealth of both published and unpublished sea-ice records (Fig. 1), but an overall scarcity of records that cover the full glacial cycle and a dearth of sea-ice reconstructions for MIS 3 and 4 (Fig. 1). However, 10 sea-ice records that cover the entire 130 kyr were identified to produce a first interbasin comparison of sea-ice changes.
On the final day, attendees gathered to work on a publication strategy. A special issue of Climate of the Past was suggested for 2020, with a minimum of six papers outlined by the attendees and an invitation to the broader community to participate. The proposed publications included: (1) an overarching review paper outlining our understanding of sea-ice changes over the last glacial cycle; (2) a new sea-ice compilation examining sea-ice extent and duration in the three Southern Ocean sectors; (3) an LGM data-model comparison using PMIP3 simulations; (4) data-model comparisons for the Last Interglacial time period (127 kyr BP); (5) analyses of sea ice and complementary records; and (6) a paper comparing new carbon cycling and circulation modeling with sea-ice data. Appropriate authors for each of the papers were selected and timelines were constructed to create realistic publication outcomes.
Acknowledgements
We thank PAGES, the University of New South Wales, Simon Fraser University, and the entire C-SIDE steering committee for their support and coordination.
affiliationS
1British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK
2Ocean & Earth Sciences, University of Southampton, UK
3School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
4Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Acton, Australia
5Surface Geosciences Department, GNS Science, Wellington, New Zealand
6Oceanic and Continental Environments and Paleoenvironments, University of Bordeaux, France
contact
Karen Kohfeld: kohfeldsfu.ca
references
mapping software
Patrick T. Boyden1 and Sophie Williams2
Dublin, Ireland, 21-23 July 2019
The PALSEA (PALeo constraints on SEA level rise; pastglobalchanges.org/palsea) working group convened recently at Trinity College, Dublin. This meeting (pastglobalchanges.org/calendar/2019/127-pages/1821) was the first in the new phase (2019-2021) of the PAGES-INQUA project focusing on using ecological and chronological data to refine proxy-based reconstructions of sea level in light of recent developments in the discipline (e.g. Barlow et al. 2018; Shennan et al. 2018; Capron et al. 2019). The end goal of this work is to produce standardized sea-level databases. The meeting particularly focused on two large databases: HOLSEA (focusing from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to present) and WARMCOASTS (focusing on the Last Interglacial; Fig. 1).
The HOLSEA project (Geographic variability of HOLocene SEA level; holsea.org) is concerned with determining the geographic variability of sea-level change in the last ~20,000 years. The project, led by Nicole Khan at the University of Hong Kong and funded by INQUA, seeks to better quantify how global sea level has changed since the LGM, and identify the driving trends of spatial variability in relative sea level over this time period. While the HOLSEA project has several aims, the specific goals of the breakout group were to discuss the data archiving process and to address any comments on the sea-level data template used within the HOLSEA database introduced by Khan et al. (2019).
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Figure 1: Overview of current paleo sea-level data within the HOLSEA (green squares) and WARMCOAST (orange triangles) databases. Initial work on the WARMCOAST database has been to combine data from previously published datasets as a foundation (Kopp et al. 2009; Pedoja et al. 2011; Hibbert et al. 2016). |
User interaction with the database was discussed, with emphasis on challenges faced when entering poorly resolved sites. Well-resolved sites primarily use sedimentary indicators and are easy to enter. Poorly resolved sites, however, are located in the high latitudes, where geomorphic indicators are used and environmental variables are difficult to obtain. Other issues included accessibility to data, conflicting data interpretation, and problems with old data using outdated radiocarbon calibration curves.
The second half of the discussion focused on using the database to address challenges across interdisciplinary boundaries. Finally, the group discussed future uses of the database in addressing spatial variability of sea level, fingerprinting sources of ice melt, reconstructing paleo-shoreline changes, and integrating the database into glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) models.
WARMCOASTS (Sea level and extreme waves in the Last Interglacial) is led by Alessio Rovere and funded by an ERC starting grant. The project focuses on the reconstruction of sea level and analysis of extreme waves during the Last Interglacial (LIG), approximately 125 kyr BP. Drawing on work by the HOLSEA group, the overarching goal of WARMCOASTS consists of advancing our current understanding of LIG sea-level changes and reducing uncertainties related to field evidence. The first phase of the project has begun with the development of a global, open-access database: the World Atlas of Last Interglacial Shorelines (WALIS). This provides a standardized template for scientists from around the world to make their published datasets available for other scientists to utilize. More information can be found on the WARMCOASTS website (warmcoasts.eu).
During the WARMCOASTS breakout session, the database development team introduced the data management user interface. Participants discussed questions regarding the logistics of programing and managing the database. The current development team is small in number but enthusiastic about wider collaboration. A central theme of the session was a debate regarding whether to include only raw data or also to provide a non-quantifiable description of the corresponding data point. It was agreed that while raw data itself should be the main focus of the database, a short description of geological context would prove to be invaluable for those using the data in the future.
This was the first of three foreseen PALSEA meetings during this phase, and was successful in leading to more cohesion within the sea-level science community, particularly as we utilize more “big data” approaches in the discipline. The next workshop in 2020 is planned to be held at Columbia University and will focus on the recent advancements in GIA and ice-sheet models and their contribution to our understanding of paleo shorelines.
affiliationS
1MARUM - Center for Marine Environmental Science, University of Bremen, Germany
2Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, United Kingdom
contact
Patrick T. Boyden: pboydenmarum.de
references
Barlow NLM et al. (2018) Nat Geosci 11: 627-634
Capron E et al. (2019) Quat Sci Rev 219: 308-311
Hibbert FD et al. (2016) Quat Sci Rev 145: 1-56
Khan NS et al. (2019) Quat Sci Rev 220: 359-371
Kopp RE et al. (2009) Nature 462: 863-867
Eleonora Regattieri1, P. Scussolini2, W.-L. Chan3 and S. Sherriff-Tadano3
QUIGS-PMIP workshop, Cambridge, UK, 1-4 July 2019
The QUIGS working group (pastglobalchanges.org/quigs) aims to understand climate and environmental changes during quaternary interglacials, by integrating paleoclimatic records and climate model simulations.
This workshop (pastglobalchanges.org/calendar/2019/127-pages/1910) kicked off QUIGS' second phase (2019-2021), where improved datasets and new model experiments are being used to address research questions and knowledge gaps identified during QUIGS' first phase (2015-2017). The meeting focused mainly on the Last Interglacial (LIG, known in the marine record as Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e) and its relevance for understanding Earth-system responses to ongoing and future climate change, although other past warm periods were also considered.
A total of 40 delegates from 12 countries participated. The first day was dedicated to discussing the latest results of the new PMIP4 climate simulations. Experiments on the LIG and mid Holocene (MH) based on the Tier 1 PMIP4 protocol are complete, ongoing, or planned for most models, and include transient simulations and experiments with different ice sheets, vegetation, and freshwater fluxes. Results will be analyzed by adopting the fixed-angular celestial calendar, essential to studying seasonality across geological timescales. Latest modeling results for the LIG consistently show summer warming at Northern Hemisphere high latitudes, marked strengthening of boreal monsoons, and weakening of austral monsoons. Several modeling studies also pointed out the importance of vegetation feedback on the amplitude of Northern Hemisphere warming. Results in the Southern Hemisphere are not as consistent: e.g. the Southern Ocean warms up or cools down depending on the model, hinting at different mechanisms at work.
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Figure 1: Summary of LIG surface temperature anomalies from marine sediment and ice-core records (courtesy of E. Capron; estimates deduced from datasets using approaches presented by Capron et al. 2017, Hoffman et al. 2017, and Fischer et al. 2018). |
From the second day, the spotlight expanded to proxy-based climate reconstructions and proxy-model comparison. A series of invited talks reviewed the current knowledge of LIG climate. Improved reconstructions of global LIG surface temperature anomalies (relative to the pre-industrial) from marine, ice-core, and continental records were presented (Fig. 1), highlighting that seasonal biases of many records still have to be addressed, and giving recommendations for the comparison to simulations of the 127 kyr BP snapshot. The latest progress in high-resolution greenhouse gas reconstructions from EPICA Dome C were presented, reporting, e.g. more stable CO2 concentrations during the LIG than previously thought. Regarding LIG sea level, the latest estimates of its peak height and temporal evolution were presented, and the main sources of uncertainty were systematically identified. Challenges still to be addressed by the wider community include improved constraints on MIS 6 ice sheets, through both paleorecords and modeling, and a proper understanding of the magnitude of LIG melting from Greenland and Antarctica.
Another slot of invited talks summarized the latest advances in LIG and MH modeling. The LIG precipitation from the new PMIP4 runs compares favorably to new proxy-based global synthesis. Some modeling groups focus on monsoon regions and on high boreal latitudes.
The meeting also saw a series of selected proxy talks and posters considering different types of globally distributed archives and proxies. Topics ranged from estimates of mean ocean temperature, polar sea-ice extent, and regional sea-level variations, to syntheses of micropaleontological and pollen records.
Discussions in plenum and in working groups identified the main challenges still to be addressed by both communities and suggested possible ways forward. These issues related to (i) chronological mismatching and seasonal biases in climate reconstructions; (ii) uncertainties in the MIS 6 ice-sheet extent and distribution, essential to an accurate modeling of LIG climate and sea level; (iii) uncertainties in vegetation evolution during the LIG interval, also important for numerical simulations; and (iv) uncertainties in sea ice, important for understanding the dynamics of Arctic amplification.
A short-term key goal was established for the QUIGS community to strive to publish relevant LIG science in time to contribute to the forthcoming 6th Assessment Report of the IPCC (AR6). In the longer term, focus will be placed on unraveling specific mechanisms, such as interactions between ice sheets, ocean, climate, and vegetation, and on comparing simulations of the LIG to those of the MH, and PMIP4 to PMIP3 and other CMIP simulations.
affiliationS
1University of Pisa, Italy
2Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands
3University of Tokyo, Japan
contact
Eleonora Regattieri: eleonora.regattieriunipi.it
references
Capron E et al. 2017 Quat Sci Rev 168: 137-150
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Rui Pena dos Reis1, M.H. Henriques1, L. Oosterbeek2, E.I. Alves3, P. Rosina2, G.G. Garcia1 and P. João4
International Meeting on Paleoclimate, Coimbra, Portugal, 18-19 June 2019
Climate is the planetary response of the atmospheric circulation to changes in its composition, the solar system configuration, Earth’s rotation, and the distribution of the oceans and continents. As a result, it is continuously evolving, expressed at a global scale by subsiding and uplifting convection cells. These changes have long been recognized and documented in geologic objects of all ages. There are climate signals in many rocks, different geologic features, fossil fragments and imprints, prehistoric remains, and historical reports that can be analyzed and interpreted in order to learn more about past climate changes. Lessons from the past support the view that change is the rule, not the exception, as evidenced by strongly contrasting and chaotic extremes, defined by the whole ensemble of extra-planetary, external, and internal geodynamic controls.
Science-based knowledge is crucial to address current challenges, and this played a major role in the organization of the PAGES-endorsed International Meeting on Paleoclimate: Change and Adaptation (pastglobalchanges.org/calendar/2019/127-pages/1920). This event was organized by two research and development centers at the University of Coimbra (the Geosciences Center and the Center for Earth and Space Research) within the framework of two UNESCO Chairs (Geoparks, Sustainable Regional Development and Healthy Lifestyles, and Humanities and Cultural Integrated Landscape Management; en.unesco.org/unitwin-unesco-chairs-programme).
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Figure 1: (A) Location map of the Aspiring Estrela Geopark (Portugal); (B) Zêzere glacial valley (Photo Credit: Aspiring Estrela Geopark); (C) Schematic paleogeographic model of glacier surface of the Estrela plateau ice-field during the last maximum of the glaciation of the Serra da Estrela. |
The conference was attended by 133 participants from 19 nations, including 64 researchers and 69 students. A total of 69 papers were presented and published in a special online volume (uc.pt/fctuc/ID/Geo/DOWNLOAD_DOCUMENTS/AREADOMENIU8). The meeting also included a fieldtrip to the Aspiring Estrela Geopark, where the landscapes formed during the Last Glacial Maximum are particularly well exposed (Fig. 1).
The organizers and participants took an observational approach in the presentations and open discussion on paleoclimatic signals designed to improve our look at the present and to ground future perspectives. The discussion focused primarily on three different topics, including paleoclimates in the solar system: external forcing; climate record in geological time: lessons to learn; and climate events and human adaptations throughout the Quaternary.
Polar climate and prehistorical climate signals, as well as planetary climate science, were the subjects of four complementary keynote presentations: climatic catastrophes in the solar system by David Grinspoon, animal extinctions and climate change in the Quaternary period by François Djindjian, the record of Holocene environmental changes in polar and mountain ice cores by Jefferson Simões, and early Holocene paleohydrological and sedimentary indices from the alluvial archives of the Middle Moulouya (the Ait Blal sequence, Morocco) by Larbi Boudad.
Contributions on the Quaternary gave evidence supporting the importance of focusing on adaptive strategies of humans in the past allowing them to overcome often fast climatic oscillations. This enabled early humans both to cope with extreme dry and cold conditions in several moments throughout the Pleistocene as well as to design innovative strategies, including advances in farming techniques, as a response to the 8.2 kyr event. A special session on rock art and climate change, which involved key clusters from Portugal, Spain, and France, enabled assessment of both the prehistoric art motives as indirect evidence of climate changes (through the depiction of diverse zoocenosis) and the impact of these on the conservation of the art itself. These discussions, which also engaged the UNESCO Chair on Humanities and Cultural Integrated Landscape Management, demonstrated that while human impact on the climate was negligible, humans’ adaptive capacity had important impacts on the biosphere dating back to the dawn of food production.
affiliationS
1Geosciences Centre of the University of Coimbra and Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, Portugal
2Instituto Politécnico de Tomar; Instituto Terra e Memória; Geosciences Centre of the University of Coimbra, Portugal
3Centre for Earth and Space Research of the University of Coimbra and Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, Portugal
4Research Centre on Didactics and Technology in the Education of Trainers of the University of Aveiro, Portugal and Geosciences Centre of the University of Coimbra, Portugal
contact
Rui Pena dos Reis: penareisdct.uc.pt
Basil A.S. Davis
Climate-12k workshop, Sainte Croix, Switzerland, 10-13 June 2019
Our ability to understand the natural variability of the Earth’s climate before modern anthropogenic greenhouse warming relies on establishing a public network of reliable proxy-temperature records from across the terrestrial and oceanic regions of the world. The PAGES 2k Network (pastglobalchanges.org/2k) has been successful in extending our knowledge of the Earth’s temperature variability back 2000 years, and Climate-12k was established in December 2018 to further extend it back to 12,000 years before present.
This time period includes the early-mid Holocene thermal optimum, when unequivocal evidence exists of higher-than-present temperatures, at least at higher latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. However, the global picture of Holocene temperature change remains poorly understood, based either on very sparse data networks that manage to cover the entire Holocene, or "snap-shots" that have greater numbers of sites but only for a single time-slice, such as the mid Holocene (6000 BP).
The Climate-12k project began with an appeal for published quantitative Holocene temperature reconstructions and other temperature-sensitive multiproxy records in early 2019 that culminated in a PAGES-endorsed workshop in Switzerland in June (pastglobalchanges.org/calendar/2019/127-pages/1911), organized by Basil Davis (University of Lausanne), Oliver Heiri, (University of Basel), Sam Jaccard (University of Bern) and Darrell Kaufman (Northern Arizona University).
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Figure 1: The global distribution of Holocene temperature records in the Climate-12k database (v.0.26) |
Pre-workshop activities involved compiling data from different sources and formats into a single standardized dataset. This included data from public archives and publication data supplements, as well as previously privately held data from research groups and individual scientists. By the time of the workshop, the Climate-12k project had compiled records from over 600 sites (Fig. 1) that conformed to the project selection criteria. This focused data collection efforts on records that are at least 4000 years long, with a minimum 400-year median sampling interval and 3000-year dating interval.
The number of applications to attend the workshop greatly exceeded the 30 places that were available, which had to represent the world's main geographical regions and proxies, together with expertise in databases and data analysis as well as climate modeling.
The workshop format involved a small number of invited talks to provide background, but was mostly based around group discussions and break-out teams. These were designed to review the collected data, refine the selection criteria, agree on essential metadata, learn about the Linked Paleo Data (LiPD; lipd.net) database format, as well as discuss analysis and publication.
A key motivation behind the Climate-12k project has been to provide a new analysis of global and regional Holocene temperature trends in time for inclusion in the next IPCC report (AR6). A database publication and an analysis paper are both planned for submission before the end of the year, which is the deadline for consideration for the Working Group 1 report.
Looking further ahead to next year, it was also proposed at the workshop that a second workshop should be organized to both continue expansion of the temperature dataset, and to expand the project to include Holocene hydroclimate records. In the meantime, workshop participants were enthusiastic about a potential application to establish Climate-12k as an official PAGES working group.
Acknowledgements
This Climate-12k workshop was a PAGES-endorsed activity. It was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, Grant 200021_169598 "HORNET" to Basil Davis, with additional support from the University of Lausanne, the University of Basel (Oliver Heiri) and the US National Science Foundation (Darrell Kaufman).
affiliation
Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
contact
Basil A.S. Davis: basil.davisunil.ch