RE-DISCOVERING THE PAST: LOCATING PROXY RECORDS FOR PALEOCLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS

"The present is key to the past" is an oft-quoted phrase within the geosciences. However, paleoclimate research illustrates that "the past may be the key to our future". One key to predicting future climate change is to understand past climate conditions on Earth and the mechanisms influencing climate variability. NASA's Global Change Master Directory (http://gcmd.nasa.gov) contains over 16,000 records describing data sets pertinent to climate change research. Approximately, 800 of these hold paleoclimate data descriptions that are based on natural proxy records, such as tree-rings, ice core isotopes, cave deposits, tephra, microfossils and sediments. Farming records, ship logs, and personal observations over the past 1000 years, along with past climate reconstructions, are also described in the database. GCMD's unique hierarchical keyword and full-text search system helps researchers discover and access important paleoclimate data sets that may provide vital clues in understanding the magnitude of present and future global changes.