Chapter 5
Interpreting
High-Resolution Proxy
Climate Data - The
Example of
Dendroclimatology
by Keith R. Briffa
5.1 Introduction
Current seientifie eoneern to establish the reality, the nature and the speed
of climate changes, believed by many to be the inevitable eonsequenee of
human aetivities, should serve to reinforce our determination to understand
similar details of the "natural" (i.e. non-anthropogenie) variability of elimate. Reeonstructing past climates on a11 timeseales is clearly important if
we hope to understand the mechanisms that eontrol climate (Bradley, 1990).
However, the seope and the rapidity of the ehanges foreseen in many scenarios of an "enhaneed-greenhouse" world, highlight the partieular relevanee
of palaeoclimate studies that foeus on reeent eenturies and millennia (Eddy,
1992). When eonsidering the question "Can we detect an enhaneed greenhouse signal?", natural reeords of past climate variability (so-ea11ed "proxy"
Keith R. Briffa is currently funded by the European Community Environment Programme under grant EV5V-CT94-0500 (DG12 DTEE)
Interpreting
High-Resolution Proxy
Climate Data - The
Example of
Dendroclimatology
by Keith R. Briffa
5.1 Introduction
Current seientifie eoneern to establish the reality, the nature and the speed
of climate changes, believed by many to be the inevitable eonsequenee of
human aetivities, should serve to reinforce our determination to understand
similar details of the "natural" (i.e. non-anthropogenie) variability of elimate. Reeonstructing past climates on a11 timeseales is clearly important if
we hope to understand the mechanisms that eontrol climate (Bradley, 1990).
However, the seope and the rapidity of the ehanges foreseen in many scenarios of an "enhaneed-greenhouse" world, highlight the partieular relevanee
of palaeoclimate studies that foeus on reeent eenturies and millennia (Eddy,
1992). When eonsidering the question "Can we detect an enhaneed greenhouse signal?", natural reeords of past climate variability (so-ea11ed "proxy"
Keith R. Briffa is currently funded by the European Community Environment Programme under grant EV5V-CT94-0500 (DG12 DTEE)