Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
"Temperature trends over the millennium"
The talk will review the evidence for changes in hemipsheric
and global temperatures over both the instrumental period (1850 onwards)
and since AD 1000 (from high-resolution proxy climatic sources). The record
since 1000 shows that the 20th century is the warmest of the last millennium,
warmer than the Medieval period, which is generally but erroneously believed
to be warmer than today. Modelling studies using simple energy balance
climate models with our current best estimates of past forcing from solar
variability and explosive volcanoes confirm this. Spatial patterns of change
over the instrumental period, during the two periods of warming this century
(1920-40 and since 1975).