This site contains information about Paleoclimatology, which is the study of climate prior to the widespread availability of records of temperature, precipitation and other instrumental data. Because a particularly severe El Nino, or relatively short drought, can cost US citizens billions of dollars, scientists study past climatic variability on various time scales to gain clues that will help society plan for future climate change. Scientists study how the Earth's climate is changing using satellites, instrumental records, historical records and proxy data such as tree rings, ice cores, fossil pollen, ocean sediments, corals and historical data. Links to highlights from the Paleoclimatology Program website and other resources are also available at this site.
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