Indications of past climates are accessible by examining fossil remains, ice cores, and sediments. The study of climate changes over history, called paleoclimatology, helps us understand the causes and effects of past climate changes as we look to better predict climate changes in the future.

Have you ever looked at a log or tree stump and noticed the many rings emanating from its center? Each ring can provide specific information on tree growth, climate, and other specific events in any given year. Trees grow more quickly during warm, moist periods of time creating wider rings, while smaller rings are seen during cold, dry periods when growth is slower. Therefore, scientists can tell approximately what a regional climate was like based on tree ring observation.

Other biological fossils, such as coral reefs, respond similarly. Ocean temperature variability—being warmer in the summer than in the winter—enables corals to exhibit seasonal growth bands, much like tree rings. Since corals build their hard skeletons from calcium carbonate which is extracted from sea water, isotopes of oxygen and trace metals can also be used to determine water temperature at various times.

Ice cores, long columns of ice extracted from polar regions, can be used to measure increases and/or decreases in snowfall over time, in addition to changes in atmospheric gases seen in trapped air bubbles, dust, and oxygen isotopes. The cores can provide vast amounts of information, including annual records of temperature, precipitation, atmospheric composition, volcanic activity, and even wind patterns.

The ocean floor is made up of layer upon layer of dust, plant, and animal skeletons that, over the centuries, creates a vertical timeline which can give scientists clues about past climates. Soil sediments can provide a record of the water table and the rate of erosion, both which depend on temperature and rainfall, and by identifying the creatures that lived at various times, scientists can also approximate the type of climate.

These are all important tools to estimate past climatic conditions and extend our understanding far beyond our recorded data, as well as to establish a knowledge base of natural climatic variability prior to widespread human influence. Studying these dramatic shifts in past climate on various time scales can help to explain how much of our current warming may be due to natural causes versus human influence, and can help us to plan for future climate changes.

Recommended Resources

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Paleoclimatology
NOAA’s Paleoclimatology branch provides useful webpages that include an introduction to paleoclimatology, a climate timeline information tool, and a variety of educational resource links.

Ice Ages
An Illinois State Museum site, Ice Ages has short discussions and explanations about glacial periods in the Earth’s past.

For the Classroom

Build a Tree-Ring Timeline
This PBS NOVA activity allows students to familiarize themselves with tree-ring dating, learning how and why tree rings form and by constructing a tree-ring timeline.

Introduction to Climate
The National Center for Atmospheric Research and the UCAR Office of Programs provide a comprehensive site explaining climate, including concepts related to paleoclimatology. The page also includes several student activities.