First of all, I would like to say welcome to my blog! I have always had an interest in palaeontology and I strongly believe that the three-billion-year history of life on earth can offer valuable insights into the potential future of our planet. Using this platform, I would like to showcase events of past climate change and how understanding them is vital in predicting our future, especially given that modern-day climate change is such a pressing issue.
There are a variety of proxies which we can use to infer past climates, from micro- and macrofossils, sedimentary structures and composition and a variety of isotopes. However, all proxies must be used with caution as the world has undergone continuous change and climate-environment interactions have differed throughout history. For example, the plates are in constant motion and the Australian Permian rock record contains evidence of glacial deposits and cool climates, which may suggest a global ice age, however, during this time Australia was closer to the poles and so it would have been colder.
Despite potential pitfalls, our knowledge of the Earth’s history is improving all the time, enabling us to more accurately infer past climates and use them as potential modern-day analogues. I hope that the upcoming series of posts provide an interesting and informative insight into climate change over through the course of history, as well as provoking thought on the future of our climate.
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