This award supports research on the comparative study of Phanerozoic climates. The primary effort is focused on modeling studies involving both the last glacial maximum and the Carboniferous, Ordovician, and late Precambrian glaciations. Specific research efforts include: (1) comparison of model-predicted land temperatures for the last glacial maximum with data from the low latitudes; (2) in-depth coupled climate-ice sheet model studies of carboniferous, Ordovician, and late Precambrian glaciations; (3) initial climate-ice sheet model simulation of Phanerozoic ice volume levels for 20 different time intervals; and (4) synthesis of results across time scales in order to check for self-consistency in model estimates of global climate sensitivity. The ultimate aim of this research is to work toward development of a uniform theory for glaciation in earth history that is consistent with observations, employs the minimum number of adjustable parameters, and yields a climate sensitivity consistent with estimates from other time intervals.
