The ITHACA project started by compiling a comprehensive dataset of paleoclimate data, which includes various sources such as historical archives, tree ring records, lake sediments, ice cores, and old instrumental records. This dataset is extensive and covers a significant portion of Europe and the Mediterranean regions, providing a robust foundation for climate reconstructions. However, it is noted that the African Mediterranean countries have fewer records available, resulting in higher uncertainties in the final product for those regions.
In addition to the ITHACA project, I also participated as a co-author in a publication titled "DOCU-Clim: A global documentary climate dataset for climate reconstructions," which has been published in the journal Scientific Reports. This publication introduces a global dataset of documentary data spanning the last 500 years, providing valuable information for climate reconstructions. The dataset is now accessible online in a standardized format, enhancing its usability and facilitating further research in the field.In parallel to the compilation of the paleoclimate dataset, I have been collaborating with Dr. Nathan Steiger on the data assimilation methodology, with a specific focus on the bias correction step. Bias correction is an important aspect of data assimilation, as it aims to correct any systematic errors or biases present in the data. This step ensures that the assimilated data align more accurately with the climate model simulation and improves the reliability of the final product.
The Journal of Climate is currently reviewing a preliminary version of our data assimilation product. This version incorporates diverse sources of information, including old instrumental data, tree rings, and ice cores. The primary focus of this product is the reconstruction of winter temperatures over Eurasia throughout the last millennium. In our manuscript titled "Last Millennium evidence of winter cooling over Eurasia following large, low-latitude volcanic eruptions", we present a challenge to the previously accepted paradigm of winter warming over Eurasia following significant tropical volcanic eruptions. Our novel data assimilation product does not support the existence of winter warming following these eruptions. Consequently, the mechanisms that were previously proposed to explain this warming are no longer considered valid. Furthermore, our analysis of the 20 largest eruptions within the Last Millennium reveals compelling evidence of winter surface cooling during the first winter following these eruptions. This finding contradicts the notion of warming and highlights the importance of considering the cooling effects of volcanic eruptions on winter temperatures over Eurasia.
By the end of the summer, we are aiming to have the second version of our product for the ITHACA project, which will include temperature, hydroclimate, and associated variables. A paper describing the new methodology and the datasets is programmed to be submitted in Fall.
Finally, I worked as a co-leading author the paper titled "Unprecedented warmth: A look at Spain’s exceptional summer of 2022", which is currently in review in the journal Atmospheric Research. In this paper, we characterized the extreme climate (temperature at 2 m, sea surface temperature, Urban Heat Island, hydroclimate, and climate dynamics) of the 2022 summer, which was unprecedented within the instrumental period and the warmest in the last 700 years in Spain.
