The Climate System History and Dynamics Program - CSHD: Introduction
The goal of the Climate System History and Dynamics (CSHD) Program is to improve understanding of the global climate system so as to increase our ability to predict future change in the global environment. Papers in this special issue represent examples of work accomplished during CSHD-Phase 1, which began in 1995 and ended in 1998. This special issue presents the work of ten groups of scientists, including groups interested in the reconstruction of past climate states using geologically derived proxy data and groups interested in the use of models to predict these states, combined in a focused effort to provide a Canadian contribution to the international Paleoclimate Model Intercomparison Project (PMIP). CSHD-Phase 1 primarily focussed on two "time slices:" the last glacial maximum (LGM) of the late Cenozoic (21 ka BP) and the mid-Holocene warm period (6 ka BP). Resume : Le but du programme Climate System History and Dynamics (CSHD) (Historique et dynamique du systeme climatique) est d'ameliorer la comprehension du systeme climatique global afin d'augmenter notre capacite de predire les changements futurs dans l'environnement global. Les articles de cette edition speciale representent des exemples du travail accompli au cours de la phase 1 du CSHD; ce programme a debute en 1995 et s'est termine en 1998. Cette edi- tion speciale presente le travail de dix groupes de specialistes, incluant des groupes interesses dans les reconstructions de climats anterieurs en utilisant des donnees geologiques indirectes et des groupes qui s'interessent a l'utilisation des modeles pour predire ces climats. Ces groupes font partie d'un effort concentre pour fournir une contribution cana- dienne au Paleoclimate Model Intercomparision Project (PMIP). La phase 1 du CSHD cible surtout deux « tranches de temps »:l edernier maximum glaciaire (LGM) au Cenozoique tardif (21 ka BP) et la periode chaude a l'Holocene moyen (6 ka BP). (Traduit par la Redaction) Peltier 633 Over the past decade, the Canadian earth science commu- nity has been involved in two large-scale national projects. The first of these was Lithoprobe, an endeavor based primar- ily upon the application of techniques for deep crustal