From the last interglacial to the future – new insights into climate change from the PalMod Earth System modelling framework

The PalMod project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) aims at filling gaps in our understanding of the dynamics and variability of the Earth system during the last glacial-interglacial cycle. Major goals are to enhance Earth system models (ESMs), to identify potential tipping points that could become important in a warming world, and to perform long-term projections with the advanced the ESMs. 

In PalMod Phases I and II, we focussed on three key epochs, the last glacial inception, MIS3, and the last deglaciation. In PalMod Phase III, we will use the new insights from the first two phases to perform more advanced climate projections into the next millennia. Special focus areas are rapid climate transitions, permafrost melting, and ice-sheet instability and sea level rise.