paleoclimatology

noun

pa·​leo·​cli·​ma·​tol·​o·​gy ˌpā-lē-ō-ˌklī-mə-ˈtä-lə-jē How to pronounce paleoclimatology (audio)
 especially British  ˌpa-
: a science dealing with the climate of past ages
paleoclimatologist
ˌpā-lē-ō-ˌklī-mə-ˈtä-lə-jist How to pronounce paleoclimatology (audio)
 especially British  ˌpa-
noun

Examples of paleoclimatology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Among these disciplines are invertebrate and vertebrate paleontology, as well as paleobotany, paleoecology and paleoclimatology. Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 30 Mar. 2023 Down an open-air, salt-scented concrete walkway, inside a cramped lab filled with whirring metal instruments, Ng practices cutting-edge groundwater paleoclimatology. Brett Simpson, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2023 The evidence to support this shocking argument came — unusually, in that era of strict specialization — from everywhere: geology, geophysics, biology, paleontology, paleoclimatology and beyond. Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 18 Feb. 2021 Tierney’s field of specialization is paleoclimatology, which involves the study of what Earth's past climate was like and why. Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2022 Structurally, Ostenfeld ostensibly builds his film around the exploits of three climate change scientists: glaciologists Jason Box and Alun Hubbard, and paleoclimatology professor Dorthe Dahl-Jensen. Guy Lodge, Variety, 23 Mar. 2022 In this effort, dendrochronologists’ work is part of a larger, relatively new field called paleoclimatology, or the study of ancient climate. Stephanie Hanes, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Nov. 2021 Climate science has from its very beginnings been a wonderfully multidisciplinary endeavor, encompassing biology, chemistry, history, paleoclimatology and, yes, physics. Gavin Schmidt, Scientific American, 12 Oct. 2021

Word History

Etymology

paleo- + climatology

First Known Use

circa 1909, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of paleoclimatology was circa 1909

Dictionary Entries Near paleoclimatology

Cite this Entry

“Paleoclimatology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paleoclimatology. Accessed 6 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on paleoclimatology

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!