This new and innovative project will improve the wider community's understanding of the mechanisms underlying abrupt climate change and climate variability, via the application of Earth-system modeling. The climate-vegetation system will be run to encompass the last six-and-a-half millennia using ensemble transient simulations which are critical for the study of abrupt climate change and climate variability. The selected period spans large-scale changes in the climates of North America and the monsoon lands of Africa and Asia. Results from model simulations will be compared with observational data.
This research will be integrated into curricula for undergraduate non-science majors, science-majors, and graduate students, contributing to the training of graduate students and postdocs through graduate assistantships and post-doctoral support. Results will be presented in peer-reviewed journals and at international meetings. The project includes the collaborative efforts of researchers in the US, Europe, and Asia, and the results are expected to contribute to the assessment of climate models and their ability to simulate future climate variability and abrupt change.
