A warm,equable Cretaceous: The nature of the problem

The nature of the problem of warm equable paleoclimates is defined by investigating the mid-Cretaceous period. The problem consists of three components: (1) defining precisely the climatic state during any specified interval of geologic time; (2) specifying the external climatic forcing factors which may have been important; and (3) understanding the climatic response to any specific modifying influence. These components are characterized by limitations of critical importance in understanding paleoclimates. The nature of the problem of a warm Cretaceous is defined both qualitatively and quantitatively within these limits.