| Paleoclimate data provide benchmarks against which the realism of the processes simulated
by climate models can be assessed. Within this framework, it is essential to avoid introducing
uncertainties associated with transfer functions and therefore to operate with robust proxies.
The implementation of stable isotopes of water or carbon inside climate models motivates a
synthesis of available data. Supported by the LABEX L-IPSL and involving a team of climate
modelers and paleoclimatologists, this project aims to establish a worldwide database of
δ18O, δD δ17O and δ13C from oceanic microfossils, corals, ice cores, cave speleothems,
lakes, tree rings, and vegetation leaves wax. The aim is to provide a global vision of the
hydrological cycle during the LGM and other selected key periods (last 2000 years,
Mid-Holocene, Dansgaard-Oeschger events, and the Eemian). It requires screening through
hundreds of published oceanic and continental records, validating the selection of
the data based on resolution and chronological information. We extracted ~900
dated δ18O records from 650 marine sediment cores, 65 δ18O records from 50
ice cores, ~200 δ18O speleothems records from 60 caves, and 540 δ13C records
from 290 marine sediment cores. An additional aspect of this project consists in the
construction of an online portal providing an intuitive and interactive platform allowing
selecting, visualizing, and downloading of the records included in this database, thus
improving the distribution and comparison of paleoclimatic records from various sites. |