READ THE ENTIRE WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE - Wikipedia entry on Paleoclimate
PERUSE ALL FIGURES - WE WILL DISCUSS THEM IN CLASS FURTHER
What do we mean by the term "Paleoclimatology?"
Become familiar with "Proxies" that are used to infer past climate conditions. Understand the nuances of how each are used (i.e. ice cores, sediment cores, tree rings, coral, etc.).
Have a general understanding of how global temperature has fluctuated over different timescales (the last half a billion years, the Holocene, the Industrial Era, etc.). Get to know some of the reasons behind these fluctuations through data from climate proxies.
Understand internal and external forcings to the climate system
What conclusions can we draw from past climate that can inform us about how the climate will respond to present day forcings?