The format of paleoCAMP consists of lectures followed by hands-on exercises and tutorials. In addition, there are half day and day-long field trips to nearby sites of geological and paleoclimatic interest. The curriculum will also include a series of professional development workshops focusing on topics such as careers, diversity, science communication, and ethical fieldwork. Below is a general narrative of the curriculum content. Note that specific topics and exercises are subject to change based on timing constraints and/or instructors’ specialty.

paleoCAMP starts with a focus on energy balance and the controls on Earth's surface temperature. Students approach the subject first through a fundamental understanding of radiative balance and then apply this to the interpretation of sea surface temperature proxies. In this first section we also introduce proxy systems modeling as a way to understand how different proxies record past climate changes.

Next, the course focuses on atmospheric circulation and water isotope tracers.  Students will work together on a climate model and proxy data comparison exercise and gain experience with isotope-enabled general circulation models and proxy forward modeling. The curriculum then shifts to ocean circulation, with hands-on understanding through practical exercises using intermediate-complexity Earth system models and state-of-the-art GCMs.

The course then turns to a review of long-term climate drivers. Practical analytical exercises provide students with a background in paleoCO₂ and weathering proxies and the fundamentals of carbonate chemistry. We revisit energy balance in light of this understanding of long-term changes in CO₂, and explore what happens when CO₂ is suddenly injected into the atmosphere in model simulations.

The course then introduces the role of the cryosphere, and approaches the issue of seasonality in the paleoclimate record, with a focus on the role of orbital cycles. We cover spectral analysis as a tool to understand the impact of the changing seasonal cycle on the climate system.

The course finishes with a focus on short-term climate forcing (including volcanoes) and how paleoclimate reconstructions provide an understanding of unforced variability in the climate system. Here we focus on high-resolution proxy information provided by tree-rings and corals. The analytical exercises use spatiotemporal data analysis to explore the patterns embedded in gridded products and proxy networks.

Field Trips

In 2022 and 2023 we visited Mono Lake to learn about the water history of Owens Valley and see carbonate chemistry action. We also visited the Wilson Creek Formation to understand and then practice age model development and evaluation. A third field trip featured a visit to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine forest, a landmark site in dendrochronology that provided early insights into variations in atmospheric radiocarbon production.

Practical Skills

Students gain familiarity with coding through Google Colab exercises conducted in open-source languages including Python and R. The tutorials feature age modeling, proxy systems modeling, analyzing climate model output, energy balance modeling, and spatiotemporal statistics. Through the field trips, students gain experience with fundamentals of stratigraphy and dendrochronology.