A Characterization of Pleistocene Climate as Revealed by Empirical Mode Decomposition

ORAL

Abstract

A consensus as to the characterization of the Pleistocene's climate with respect to Milankovich theory (the forcing of climate by orbital dynamics) has remained elusive. In part, this is due of the shortcomings of classical techniques such as Fourier analysis in the study of nonlinear, nonstationary data. Confounding this problem, the age-depth relationship used to produce reconstructed time series of proxy data for past climate derived from ocean sediments often are ``tuned'' by assuming that the records have some component of climate change associated to one of the orbital parameters. Recently, a new time-series of proxy data for the waxing and waning of the ice ages has been constructed devoid of orbital assumptions--thereby allowing for clearer testing of the validity of Milankovich theory and related hypothesis for the timing and amplitude of the Pleistocene ice ages. We analyze this newly constructed record using a relatively new data-adaptive technique known as empirical mode decomposition (EMD), which is well suited for the study of nonlinear and nonstationary time data. Our EMD analysis clearly isolates the various components of this complicated time series and provides new insight into the behavior of the climate during the Pleistocene.

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Authors

  • Matthew Rodrigues

    California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo

  • Charles Camp

    California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo

  • Nilgun Sungar

    Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, University of California, Irvine, California State University, Fresno, Physics Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, Seogang University, Pohang University of Science \& Technology, UC Santa Cruz, Trinity College, Hartford, Los Alamos National Laboratory, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CSU Long Beach, Physics/Hokkaido University, Japan, Physics/University of California, San Deigo, Physics/California State University, Fresno, CSU Stanislaus, University of California, Santa Barbara, Instituted of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, UK, Max-Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, Bonn, Germany, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, UK, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, SpaceX, Northrop-Grumman, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Department of Physics, University of California at Davis, Davis 95616, United States Department of Agriculture-Agriculture Research Service, Chemistry/California State University Fresno, Physics/California State University Fresno, University of California Santa Barbara, University of California Merced, UC Merced, Stanford University, New Economic School, California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Chair of the Physics Department

  • Nilgun Sungar

    Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, University of California, Irvine, California State University, Fresno, Physics Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, Seogang University, Pohang University of Science \& Technology, UC Santa Cruz, Trinity College, Hartford, Los Alamos National Laboratory, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CSU Long Beach, Physics/Hokkaido University, Japan, Physics/University of California, San Deigo, Physics/California State University, Fresno, CSU Stanislaus, University of California, Santa Barbara, Instituted of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, UK, Max-Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, Bonn, Germany, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, UK, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, SpaceX, Northrop-Grumman, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Department of Physics, University of California at Davis, Davis 95616, United States Department of Agriculture-Agriculture Research Service, Chemistry/California State University Fresno, Physics/California State University Fresno, University of California Santa Barbara, University of California Merced, UC Merced, Stanford University, New Economic School, California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Chair of the Physics Department