Climate Forcing Data
All data in the World Data Center for Paleoclimatology archive are contributed by research
scientists. Contributors and references are available in readme or data file headers. Here
is a Sample Data Citation.
Orbital Variations
Variations in the Earth's orbit around the sun (Milankovitch forcing) affect the distribution of solar
energy about the globe, resulting in changes in seasonality and climate.
- Orbital Variations, 5,000,000 Years, Berger and Loutre 1991
- Orbital Variations, -50 to +20 MYrs, preliminary, Laskar et al.(from IMCCE)
Solar Variability
The output of energy from the sun varies slightly over time, changing the total amount of
energy absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere and thus affecting climate.
- Reconstructed Solar Irradiance, 1200 Years, Bard et al. 2000
- Reconstructed Solar Irradiance, 400 Years, Lean 2000
- Reconstructed Solar Irradiance, 400 Years, Lean et al. 1995
- Sunspot Numbers, 250 Years, World Data Center for Solar-Terrestrial Physics
- Reconstructed Sunspot Numbers, 11,400 Years, Solanki et al. 2004
- GISP2 10Be Concentration, 40,000 Years, Finkel and Nishiizumi 1997
- GRIP 10Be Concentration, 386,000 Years, Yiou et al. 1997, Wagner et al. 2001, Baumgartner et al. 1997
- Volcanic and Solar Forcing of the Tropical Pacific, 1,000 Years, Mann et al. 2005
Volcanic Aerosols
Volcanic eruptions can inject large amounts of aerosols into the atmosphere, increasing the
earth's albedo (reflectivity) and cooling the climate.
- Volcanic sulfate, 390 Years, Zielinski et al. 1994
- GISP2 Volcanic Markers, 110,000 Years, Zielinski and Mershon 1997
- Hypothesized Climate Forcing Time Series for the Last 500 Years, Robertson et al. 2001
- Volcanic Eruptions and Aerosol Optical Depth, 40,000 Years, Bryson 1988
- Statistical Analysis of Tropical Volcanic Events, 600 Years, Ammann and Naveau 2003
- Monthly Volcanic Forcing Data for Climate Modeling, 110 Years, Ammann et al. 2003
- Listing of Large Holocene Eruptions from the
Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Program
- Major Volcanic Eruptions, 600 Years, Briffa et al. 1998
- Volcanic and Solar Forcing of the Tropical Pacific, 1,000 Years, Mann et al. 2005
Tropospheric Aerosols
Tropospheric aerosols can affect formation of clouds, as well as increasing Earth's albedo.
- GISP2 ATM Aerosols, 2 Years, Dibb and Jaffrezo 1997
- GISP2 Insoluble Microparticles, 3600 Years, Zielinski and Mershon 1997
- GISP2 LLS Dust, 111 KYrBP -12 KYrBP, Ram and Koenig 1997
- GISP2 LLS Dust, 400 Years, Donarummo et al. 2002
- GISP2 Ions - B core (0-200 Meters), 700 Years, Mayewski et al. 1997
- GISP2 Ions: Deep (D) Core, 111,000 Years, Mayewski et al. 1997
- GISP2 Ions: Deep (D) Core (Detailed), 100,000 Years, Mayewski et al. 1997
- GISP2 Ions: Shallow (B) Core (Detailed), 700 Years, Mayewski et al. 1997
- GRIP Acidity, 4000 Years, Clausen et al. 1997
- GRIP Ion Concentrations, 386,000 Years, De Angelis et al. 1997
- Vostok Dust Concentration, 421,000 Years, Petit et al. 1999
- Quelccaya Microparticles, 1500 Years, Thompson et al. 1989
- Volcanic Eruptions and Aerosol Optical Depth, 40,000 Years, Bryson 1988
- Hypothesized Climate Forcing Time Series for the Last 500 Years, Robertson et al. 2001
- DIRTMAP Eolian Flux Database Version 2, 18,000 Years, Kohfeld and Harrison 2001
- DIRTMAP Eolian Flux Database Version 1, 18,000 Years, Mahowald et al. 1999
Atmospheric Trace Gases
Carbon dioxide, methane, and other trace gases absorb infrared energy, resulting in greenhouse
warming of the earth.
- GRIP Methane, 39,000 Years, Blunier et al. 1995
- GISP2 Methane, 110,000 Years, Brook et al. 1996
- Law Dome Methane, 1000 Years, Etheridge et al. 1998
- Vostok Methane, 417,000 Years, Petit et al. 1999
- Vostok Carbon Dioxide, 414,000 Years, Petit et al. 1999
- GEOCARB III Phanerozoic Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide, 570 Million Years, Berner and Kothavala 2001
- Cenozoic Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide, 60 Million Years, Pearson and Palmer 2000
- Hypothesized Climate Forcing Time Series for the Last 500 Years, Robertson et al. 2001
Climate Forcing Research Data Sets
Several published collections of various types of climate forcing data are archived at WDC Paleo.
- Forcing and Model Results for the Past 1000 Years, Crowley 2000
- Hypothesized Climate Forcing Time Series for the Last 500 Years, Robertson et al. 2001
- Volcanic Eruptions and Aerosol Optical Depth, 40,000 Years, Bryson 1988
- Volcanic and Solar Forcing of the Tropical Pacific, 1,000 Years, Mann et al. 2005
Other Data Archives
- Lasker et al. 2004 Astronomical Solutions (preliminary), -50 to +20 MYrs (from IMCCE)
