The last decade of the 20th Century was the warmest in the entire global instrumental temperature record, starting in the mid-19th century. All 10 years rank among the 15 warmest, and include the 6 warmest years on record.This warmth is unusual for the past century, but what about in the context of past centuries or millennia? It is only through the reconstruction of past climate that we can truly evaluate the magnitude of this warming.

NOAA's Paleoclimatology Program is working with scientists from around the world to study past climate in hopes of achieving a better understanding of the Earth's present and future climate. This site was developed to help educate, inform and highlight the importance of paleoclimate research; as well as to show how paleoclimate research relates to global warming and other important issues of climate variability and change.