About the working group
The current state of knowledge of the Earth system and its future evolution contains significant uncertainties that hamper an impact analysis of future climate change. Study of past climates provides a unique opportunity to quantify more accurately a number of climate characteristics, such as Earth system sensitivity and critical climate thresholds. Study of past climates also contributes to a better understanding of the new geological epoch – the Anthropocene – in the context of climate variability during the current geological era, the Quaternary.
Key questions
- What is the role of climate and carbon cycle feedbacks in the past Earth system dynamics?
- Which constraints on the critical climate thresholds can be derived from the past climate changes?
- How the long-term (thousands to million years) future evolution of the Earth system depends on the anthropogenic CO2 emission?
