Applications of proxy system modeling in high resolution paleoclimatology

M.N. Evans, S.E. Tolwinski-Ward, D.M. Thompson, K.J. Anchukaitis
2013 Quaternary Science Reviews  
A proxy system model may be defined as the complete set of forward and mechanistic processes by which the response of a sensor to environmental forcing is recorded and subsequently observed in a material archive. Proxy system modeling complements and sharpens signal interpretations based solely on statistical analyses and transformations; provides the basis for observing network optimization, hypothesis testing, and data-model comparisons for uncertainty estimation; and may be incorporated as
more » ... ak but mechanistically-plausible constraints into paleoclimatic reconstruction algorithms. Following a review illustrating these applications, we recommend future research pathways, including development of intermediate proxy system models for important sensors, archives, and observations; linking proxy system models to climate system models; hypothesis development and evaluation; more realistic multiarchive, multi-observation network design; examination of proxy system behavior under extreme conditions; and generalized modeling of the total uncertainty in paleoclimate reconstructions derived from paleo-observations.
doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.05.024 fatcat:kutjvg35zrb7nna7egh7kj3qdq