Tree rings document ancient Western megadrought

Researchers say they have found new evidence of prolonged drought in parts of the West, suggesting megadroughts are not the rarity Westerners would like them to be.

Digging for past clues on climate change

Scientists are hoping samples of soil formed up to 20,000 years ago that they dug from the Meadowlands will provide clues to dramatic shifts in climate, geology and plant life that may have hit the region in the past.

Paleoclimatology

Paleoclimatology (also palaeoclimatology) is the study of changes in climate taken on the scale of the entire history of Earth. It uses a variety of proxy methods from the Earth and life sciences to obtain data previously preserved within (e.g.) rocks, sediments, ice sheets, tree rings, corals, shells and microfossils; it then uses these records to determine the past states of the Earth's various climate regions and its atmospheric system. Paleoclimatology has wider implications for climate change today. Scientists often consider past changes in environment and biodiversity to reflect on the current situation, and specifically the impact of climate on mass extinctions and biotic recovery.

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