This project focuses on the eocene climate, around 50 million years ago, when the world was much warmer than at present. A suite of numerical modeling simulations with a general circulation model will be carried out to resolve a major disparity between paleoclimate data interpretations and previous modeling results. The data indicate that the interiors of continents enjoyed mild climate, while previous model simulations suggest that the interiors of continents experienced high seasonality. Latest version of the NCAR Community Climate Model, coupled to a sea-ice/oceanic mixed-layer model, will be used in this work. This work is important because it will yield insights into the physical processes important during previous warm epochs and could lead to further refinements of models of the climate system.
