A New Method for Constraining Paleoclimate Parameters using Space Geodetic Determinations of Ongoing Viscoelastic Adjustment due to Ancient Glacial Loads

Smithsonian Institution Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

Reconstructing and modeling climate variations over the last 30,000 years or so is one of the most important goals of global climate change research. Only by determining how the global climate varied during this period can we begin to understand the factors that controlled climate change in the past, an understanding that is crucial if we are to interpret the climate changes of today. For example, such an understanding is crucial if we are to separate "natural" climate variations from anthropogenically induced ones, and to predict future climate change. In this project, the investigators will use Global Positioning System (GPS) data from regions previously covered by glaciers to measure the present-day crustal motions associated with postglacial rebound. Using these data, a refined model for the history of the ice cover will be determined. This refined history can be used to estimate parameters that govern the evolution of the climate.