Work

Coping with dating errors in causality estimation

Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: We consider the problem of estimating causal influences between observed processes from time series possibly corrupted by errors in the time variable (dating errors) which are typical in palaeoclimatology, planetary science and astrophysics. "Causality ratio" based on the Wiener-Granger causality is proposed and studied for a paradigmatic class of model systems to reveal conditions under which it correctly indicates directionality of unidirectional coupling. It is argued that in the case of a priori known directionality, the causality ratio allows a characterization of dating errors and observational noise. Finally, we apply the developed approach to palaeoclimatic data and quantify the influence of solar activity on tropical Atlantic climate dynamics over the last two millennia. A stronger solar influence in the first millennium A.D. is inferred. The results also suggest a dating error of about 20 years in the solar proxy time series over the same period.
Authors: D. A. Smirnov, N. Marwan, S. F. M. Breitenbach, F. Lechleitner, J. Kurths
Language: English
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2590629548
FWCI: 2.3
Cites: 38
Cited by: 7
Related to: 10