The PATCH Lab v1.0: A database and workspace for Cenozoic terrestrial paleoclimate and environment reconstruction

Abstract

In the last two decades, analytical advances and a growing interest in relevant research questions has brought a rapid increase in the amount of stable isotope data used for reconstructing terrestrial paleoclimates and environments. As the spatial and temporal resolution of proxy data continues to improve, the quantitative interpretation of these data is becoming increasingly common. These advances in data resolution and theory bring opportunities for multi-proxy comparisons, synthesis and modeling of large datasets, integration with paleoecological datasets, improved climate model benchmarking, and more. Here, in an effort to support these growing avenues of research, we present The PATCH Lab (Paleo-Analysis of Terrestrial Climate and Hydrology)—an online portal to discover, download, and quantitatively analyze deep time (>1 Ma) terrestrial stable isotope data. The PATCH Lab portal hosts a new database that currently includes 27009 stable isotope measurements from 211 publications spanning multiple terrestrial proxies, and quantitative models for interpreting water isotope and soil carbonate data. Data query, download, and modeling results are organized into user-friendly graphical interfaces that export datasets as .csv files. New data can be easily submitted to the PATCH Lab curators through the portal by completing a data submission template. The PATCH Lab, with the help of community engagement, serves as a resource for archiving terrestrial stable isotope data, building paleo “isoscapes”, and increasing accessibility to quantitative methods of investigating terrestrial stable isotopes in paleoclimate.