2023/09/22 by Tommaso Alberti, Fabio Florindo, Alberti, Tommaso +7
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Chaotic Dynamics (nlin.CD) #Data Analysis #Ecosystem dynamics and resilience #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #FOS: Physical sciences #Geology and Paleoclimatology Research #Geophysics (physics.geo-ph) #Statistics and Probability (physics.data-an)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2309.12693
openalex publication_date 2023/09/22 · openalex created_date 2023/09/26 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
While one can unequivocally identify past climate transitions, we lack comprehensive knowledge about their underlying mechanisms and timescales. Our study employs a dimensional analysis of benthic stable isotope records to uncover, across different timescales, how the climatic fluctuation of the Cenozoic are associated with changes in the number of effective degrees of freedom. Precession timescales dominate the Hothouse and Warmhouse states, while the Icehouse climate is primarily influenced by obliquity and eccentricity timescales. Notably, the Coolhouse state lacks dominant timescales. Our analysis proves effective in objectively identifying abrupt climate shifts and extremes. This is also demonstrated using high-resolution data from the last glacial cycle, revealing abrupt climate shifts within a single climate state. These findings significantly impact our understanding of the inherent stability of each climate state and the evaluation of (paleo-)climate models' ability to replicate key features of past/future climate states and transitions.