paleometeorology
Paleometeorology is the scientific study of past weather and atmospheric phenomena inferred from natural archives rather than direct instrumental records. It aims to reconstruct historical patterns of temperature, precipitation, storm activity, and atmospheric variability over timescales from decades to millions of years, using proxy evidence preserved in the geological and biological record.
The field relies on a variety of proxies. Tree rings provide growth indicators linked to seasonal climate,
Methodologically, paleometeorology employs calibration against modern observations, statistical reconstructions, and sometimes climate-model simulations to test hypotheses
Applications include assessing natural climate variability, evaluating model performance, attributing recent anomalies to natural or human