Introduction to the Special Issue on Climate of the Past 2000 Years: Global and Regional Syntheses

Abstract. This PAGES (Past Global Changes) 2k (Climate of the past 2000 years Working Group) Special Issue of Climate of the Past brings together the latest understanding of regional change and impacts from PAGES 2k groups across a range of proxies and regions. The Special Issue has emerged from a need to determine the magnitude and rate of change of regional and global climate beyond the timescales accessible within the observational record. This knowledge also plays an important role in attribution studies and is fundamental to understanding the mechanisms and environmental and societal impacts of recent climate change. The scientific studiesin the Special Issue reflect the urgent need to better understand regional differences from a truly global view around the PAGES themes of: Climate Variability, Modes and Mechanisms , Methods and Uncertainties and Proxy and Model Understanding .