Dr. Sze Ling Ho

Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University

Our understanding of past climate is based largely on geological data known as paleoclimate proxy. In the marine realm, proxy is often derived from the remains of marine organisms, either in the form of carbonate shell or organic compounds. In addition to characterizing paleoclimate, proxy data are also routinely used to validate numerical models used to project future climate change. At the same time, due to the indirect recording process coupled with the complexity in natural system, proxy data are not without uncertainty. This is especially evident in proxy comparison, where proxy discrepancy may occur not only in terms of absolute value but also in the direction of change. These discrepancies may arise as each proxies record different seasons and/or water depths. Hypotheses such as these can be tested using numerical models. Model simulations are also useful for sensitivity experiment to test proxy-based hypothesis. In this talk, I will show a few case studies across geological time-scale. I will also discuss ongoing work and future research topics in paleoclimate proxy-model comparison.