Differing pre-industrial cooling trends between tree-rings and lower-resolution temperature proxies

• DOI: 10.5194/cp-2019-41
• Publication Date: 2019-04-04T10:25:52Z
• Authors: Lara Klippel; Scott St. George; Ulf Büntgen; Paul J. Krusic; Jan Esper
• Keywords: Proxy (statistics); Ice core; Temperature record; Low latitude; Paleoclimatology; Little ice age

Abstract. The 692 proxy records of the new PAGES 2k compilation offer an unprecedented opportunity to study regional global temperature trends associated with orbitally-driven changes in solar irradiance over past two millennia. Here, we analyse significance long-term from 1–1800 CE compilation’s tree-ring, ice core, marine and lake sediment find, unlike ice-cores, glacier dynamics, sediments, no suggestion a pre-industrial cooling trend tree-ring records. To understand why proxies lack significant cooling, divide dendro data by location (high NH latitudes vs. mid latitudes), seasonal response (annual summer), detrending method, sensitivity low). We conclude ability detect any pre-industrial, millennial-long does not increase latitude, sensitivity, or method. Consequently, caution is advised when using multi-proxy approaches reconstruct changes.