ADOM - Atmospheric Dust during the last glacial cycle: Observations and Modeling

Atmospheric circulation is responsible for rapid distribution of heat and moisture across the earth and hence determines our weather and regional climate, today and in the past. Atmospheric variations during the last glacial cycle were pronounced and happened sometimes within decades or even years; therefore, they provide good test cases for how well we understand atmospheric circulation dynamics at all levels of conceptual and numerical modeling. This, however, requires robust knowledge of the patterns of past atmospheric circulation and the relation with climatic and environmental change.

The ADOM working group ran from 2009 - 2014 and sought to combine the evidence from eolian records from different continents, oceans and ice sheets, with model simulations of past atmospheric circulation and modern process understanding. The goals were to synthesize knowledge on atmospheric dynamics across interannual to multi-millennial timescales, define the present limits of understanding, and formulate follow-on questions and strategies for future research.