Preliminary comparison of geological climate proxies with GCM palaeoclimate simulations for selected locations in North Africa

Abstract

Our knowledge of palaeoclimate history is mainly based on climate proxies, which can infer past climatic conditions. In North Africa, sediment proxies such as palygorskite and the kaolinite-to-chlorite ratio are usually transported as dust components. Their relative increase or decrease is indicative of an arid or humid condition respectively.
Another way to understand palaeoclimate conditions is by the use of coupled atmospheric models within the Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project Phase III (PMIP3). In PMIP3, Global Climate Models (GCM), such as MPI-ESM (Max-Planck-Institute Earth System Model), simulate past climate conditions.
This thesis provides a preliminary comparison of the sediment proxies with the MPI-ESM simulations of precipitation and temperature for the LGM (last glacial maximum) and mid-Holocene in North Africa. By comparing proxy and model data, a positive correlation between proxies and model results can be assigned as the result of this thesis.

Resources

• Ehimen_Williams_IMES-Thesis.pdf

Bibliography

Williams, E. E. (2014): Preliminary comparison of geological climate proxies with GCM palaeoclimate simulations for selected locations in North Africa. University of Cologne