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    Complex systems approaches for Earth system data analysis
    (Bristol : IOP Publ., 2021) Boers, Niklas; Kurths, Jürgen; Marwan, Norbert
    Complex systems can, to a first approximation, be characterized by the fact that their dynamics emerging at the macroscopic level cannot be easily explained from the microscopic dynamics of the individual constituents of the system. This property of complex systems can be identified in virtually all natural systems surrounding us, but also in many social, economic, and technological systems. The defining characteristics of complex systems imply that their dynamics can often only be captured from the analysis of simulated or observed data. Here, we summarize recent advances in nonlinear data analysis of both simulated and real-world complex systems, with a focus on recurrence analysis for the investigation of individual or small sets of time series, and complex networks for the analysis of possibly very large, spatiotemporal datasets. We review and explain the recent success of these two key concepts of complexity science with an emphasis on applications for the analysis of geoscientific and in particular (palaeo-) climate data. In particular, we present several prominent examples where challenging problems in Earth system and climate science have been successfully addressed using recurrence analysis and complex networks. We outline several open questions for future lines of research in the direction of data-based complex system analysis, again with a focus on applications in the Earth sciences, and suggest possible combinations with suitable machine learning approaches. Beyond Earth system analysis, these methods have proven valuable also in many other scientific disciplines, such as neuroscience, physiology, epidemics, or engineering.
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    Constraining two climate field reconstruction methodologies over the North Atlantic realm using pseudo-proxy experiments
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2021) Nilsen, Tine; Talento, Stefanie; Werner, Johannes P.
    This study presents pseudo-proxy experiments to quantify the reconstruction skill of two climate field reconstruction methodologies for a marine proxy network subject to age uncertainties. The BARCAST methodology (Bayesian Algorithm for Reconstructing Climate Anomalies in Space and Time) is tested for sea surface temperature (SST) reconstruction for the first time over the northern North Atlantic region, and compared with a classic analogue reconstruction methodology. The reconstruction experiments are performed at annual and decadal resolution. We implement chronological uncertainties inherent to marine proxies as a novelty, using a simulated age-model ensemble covering the past millennium. Our experiments comprise different scenarios for the input data network, with the noise levels added to the target variable extending from ideal to realistic. Results show that both methodologies are able to reconstruct the Summer mean SST skillfully when the proxy network is considered absolutely dated, but the skill of the analogue method is superior to BARCAST. Only the analogue method provides skillful correlations with the true target variable in the case of a realistic noisy and age-uncertain proxy network. The spatiotemporal properties of the input target data are partly contrasting with the BARCAST model formulations, resulting in an inferior reconstruction ensemble that is similar to a white-noise stochastic process in time. The analogue method is also successful in reconstructing decadal temperatures, while BARCAST fails. The results contribute to constraining uncertainties in CFR for ocean dynamics which are highly important for climate across the globe.