Reconstructing, Simulating and Understanding Abrupt Climate Change

Explore the fascinating world of abrupt climate change through this 36-minute lecture by Axel Timmermann from the PCS Institute for Basic Science. Embark on a journey from the caves of Gangwon-do in South Korea to the discovery of a remarkable climate transition that occurred around 16,000 years ago. Delve into the combination of geochemical and isotopic proxies from Korean stalagmites with isotope-enabled climate model simulations to uncover the causes of this abrupt cooling event. Learn about the potential impact of glacial meltwater lake bursts on ocean stratification, sea ice formation, and atmospheric circulation reorganization. Gain insights into the challenges faced by current climate models in capturing such events and the progress made in coupling dynamical ice-sheet models with state-of-the-art earth system models. Understand the importance of improving the representation of abrupt and internally generated low-frequency climate transitions in future modeling efforts.