A new study led by researchers at The Australian National University (ANU) provides a clearer snapshot of conditions during the last ice age—when global ice sheets were at their peak—and could even lead to better models for future climate projections.

The study demonstrates a new way of recreating ocean conditions in the Atlantic during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM)—around 20,000 years ago.

Lead author Dr. Jimin Yu says scientists have been trying to reconstruct ocean circulation for this time period for decades, because of the clues it offers about past CO₂ levels and changes in climate.

“The LGM was a time of much lower CO₂ levels, lower global temperature and lower sea levels,” Dr. Yu said.

The researchers say old ocean models cannot explain recently published data on the LGM, meaning a change in thinking was needed.

Using