Climate changes over the past millennium: Relationships with Mediterranean climates ( ∗)

• Main Author: M. E. Mann
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: North Atlantic; North Atlantic oscillation
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.408.1434; http://www.meteo.psu.edu/holocene/public_html/shared/articles/MannNuovoCimento06.pdf

Summary. — Evidence is reviewed for climate change and its causes over the interval spanning roughly the past millennium. Particular emphasis is placed on patterns of climate change influencing Mediterranean climates of the Northern Hemisphere. The evidence is taken from studies using high-resolution climate “proxy” data sources, and climate modeling simulations. The available evidence suggests that forced changes in dynamical modes of variability including the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) have played a key role in the patterns of climate variability in Mediterranean regions over the past millennium. PACS 92.60.Ry – Climatology. PACS 92.70.Gt – Climate dynamics. PACS 92.60.Wc – Weather analysis and prediction. PACS 01.30.Cc – Conference proceedings. I review here evidence for climate change and its causes over the interval spanning roughly the past millennium, with a focus on patterns of climate change influencing Mediterranean climates of the Northern Hemisphere. The evidence is taken from instrumental and high-resolution climate “proxy ” data sources, and climate modeling studies. Several research groups have recently developed annually-resolved, hemispheric reconstructions of Northern Hemisphere mean temperature changes over the past 500-2000 years suggesting anomalous late 20th century warmth at hemispheric or global scales