Atlases of Archaeoclimatology: Spatial Interpolations of Model Output

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Atlases of ArchaeoclimatologySpatial
Interpolations of Model Output

• Katherine A. McEnaney
• Presentation to the Climate, People, and the
  Environment Program at the University of
  Wisconsin - Madison
• September 27, 2005

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Archaeoclimatology

• Sometimes called Macrophysical modeling
• Tested hundreds of times against field data
• Based on
• orbital forcing of incoming radiation
• modulation by aerosols and variable snow-ice
  albedo
• standard dynamics
• synoptic climatology

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Archaeoclimatology

• Site specific
• Yields monthly 200-year mean values
• Precipitation
• Temperature
• Water Stress (Evapotranspiration)
• River Discharge
• Etc.
• Work is now complete on 100-year resolution for
  the past 20,000 years

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The Atlas Project

• Focused at the state level
• Oregon, Wisconsin, Indus Culture Area...
• Case studies and applications
• Comparison against proxy reconstructions
• Archaeological analyses
• Contains all individual site models
• State-wide maps of broad-scale trends

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La Crosse, Wisconsin
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Sahiwal, Pakistan
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La Crosse, Wisconsin
The difference between precipitation and
evaporation is known as water stress
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Comparison with Pollen Data
Different environments have different climates.
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Comparison with Pollen Data
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Comparison with Pollen Data
The model compares favorably with pollen
reconstructions.
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Comparison with Pollen Data
The model compares favorably with pollen
reconstructions.
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Discharge of the Mississippi
Intro ? Site Level ? Pollen ? Rivers ? Regional
Composites
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Stream Discharge
These are associated with an increase in westerly
storms, not local events.
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Composite Studies

• Models may be combined for a given state/region
• The results may be used to map precipitation
  values or anomalies through the past

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Spatial Interpolation of Models in the Indus
Culture Area
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Spatial Modeling for Wisconsin
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Temperatures in Wisconsin
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Precipitation in Wisconsin
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Change, 8-7000 years ago
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More recent changes
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Cultural continuity is evident in areas with
positive change
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Precipitation minus Evapotranspiration delineates
environmental boundaries
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In Summary

• Almost any important climatic variable may be
  modeled
• Models are site-specific and high resolution
• 130 sites in Wisconsin
• gt 50 sites in Iowa
• gt 60 sites in India and Pakistan
• 1000s of sites across the globe

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Please Cite As

• McEnaney, K. A.
• 2005 Atlases of Archaeoclimatology Spatial
  Interpolation of Model Output. Paper presented at
  the Climate, People, and the Environment Program
  Seminar Series, Sept. 27, 2005, Madison, WI.
• For more information, contact kamcenaney_at_wisc.edu
  .