Seminar: The history of tropical hydroclimate: insights from proxy data and climate model

Abstract

Tropical ocean-atmosphere circulation exerts a powerful influence on the global climate system, driving global moisture and energy budgets and shaping regional hydroclimate patterns. However, the extent to which this system will be affected by future climate change remains uncertain and subject to ongoing debate. Paleoclimate studies offer a unique opportunity to understand the tropical hydroclimate response to external forcings and internal variability, which are crucial for predicting future climate conditions. Through data-model synthesis, we can integrate terrestrial and marine proxy records with high-resolution climate model simulations to reveal the spatiotemporal evolution of paleoclimate changes and their underlying physical mechanisms. In this talk, I will present my work that investigates how tropical hydroclimate has changed on interannual to orbital timescales since the last ice age, and how different regions have responded to various climate forcings by integrating proxy records with isotope-enabled transient climate model simulations. Additionally, I will discuss the teleconnections between tropical and mid-latitude regions that contribute to our understanding of global climate dynamics.