07.02.2025

New Paper: Testing the reliability of global surface temperature reconstructions of the Last Glacial Cycle with pseudo-proxy experiments

Congratulations to Jean-Philippe Baudouin and co-authors on the publication of their new paper in Climate of the Past!

In this study, Jean-Philippe Baudouin, along with Nils Weitzel, Kira Rehfeld, and colleagues from PalMod, evaluate an algorithm used to reconstruct global surface temperatures based on sea surface temperature proxy records from the Last Glacial Cycle. This research stems from analyses performed by Maximilian May during his Master's thesis with us in Heidelberg.      

The study uses pseudo-proxy timeseries to analyze how proxy properties like age resolution and uncertainty affect reconstructions. It finds that age uncertainty is the main limitation beyond 40.000 year before present, where radiocarbon dating is unavailable. The algorithm’s ability to extract global temperature signals from biased data impacts estimates for periods like the Last Glacial Maximum and the Last Interglacial.

The paper highlights critical limitations in current temperature reconstructions due to proxy data properties and suggests strategies to enhance reconstruction methods. Read more here.