Armed with more certainty about the circulation patterns of the past, scientists will be able to better test how well the climate-change models are working, MacLeod adds.

FORBES: Could Fish Fossils Help Us Better Predict Climate Change?

The House had a test vote this morning and the climate bill narrowly got through there.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing

Perhaps most vital, we feel inspired by the unexpected beauty of a new climate, by the knowledge that we can test our physical limits, survive the trek, and reap the rewards of a breathtaking summit.

FORBES: Throw Out Your Plans for 2013. Business Is a Journey.

Obama may want the Senate to ratify the test-ban treaty but that has not happened yet and his moves on climate change, too, will require congressional compliance.

CNN: Analysis: Did Obama win Nobel for not being Bush?

And if combined with a number of palaeo-wind records gathered from around the continent, it could provide a useful tool to test climate computer models, they believe.

BBC: The dust loggers were sacrificed at the bottom of the holes

The University of Missouri researchers now aim to use their findings to test various climate-change models.

FORBES: Could Fish Fossils Help Us Better Predict Climate Change?

The climate talks in Durban, South Africa, run from 28 November to 9 December and are likely to test global resolve to tackle greenhouse emissions.

BBC: No let up in greenhouse gas rise

Several experts have said that 2007 is a litmus-test year for energy and climate change legislation, meaning that real overhaul would come after the 2008 elections in the event that Democrats win both the White House and Congress.

FORBES: Wait And See