One motivation for paleoclimatic research is to validate state-of-the-art coupled climate models for paleoclimatic time slices and specific climate transitions during the Quaternary. Furthermore, analyzing paleoclimatic records and models in tandem allows for the evaluation of climate transitions and the analysis of forcing and feedback mechanisms of glacial-interglacial and future climate changes.

An Earth System Model is used for the study of climate dynamics on decadal to multi-millennial time-scales. The model provides a laboratory for the numerical simulation of climate transitions during the last glacial-interglacial cycles, as well as for the next millennium. The concept of pathways of external forcing into the climate response is used in order to introduce a novel view of the paleoclimatic record. Special attention is paid to the validation with terrestrial, marine and ice core data. In a long-term perspective, a three-dimensional climate model should explicitly resolve atmospheric dynamics and include climate components such as vegetation, the cryosphere, and the oceans. Furthermore, the model should be capable of simulating bio-geochemical cycles, including the carbon cycle and marine sediments, as well as isotopes in the climate components. To this end, well documented and tested model components should be used and adapted for paleoclimatic purposes. Simulations of transitions for the past and future climate will examine thresholds and feedbacks in the climate system. For this purpose, comprehensive models like ECHAM and models of reduced complexity (PUMA, LSG, etc.) are applied.