Clumped isotopes analyses have traditionally been used in lieu of conventional δO analyses when the δO of seawater or source water is poorly constrained.  While conventional δO analysis solves for temperature as a function of both carbonate and water δO, clumped isotope analyses can provide temperature estimates that are independent of the source water δO.  Δ47-derived temperature can then be used in conjunction with carbonate δO to reconstruct δO of the source water, thus providing information on the water with which the carbonate was equilibrated.
Clumped isotope analyses thus allow for estimates of two key environmental variables: temperature and water δO.  These variables are especially useful for reconstructing past climates, as they can provide information on a wide range of environmental properties. For example, temperature variability can imply changes in solar irradiance, greenhouse gas concentration, or albedo, while changes in water δO can be used to estimate changes in ice volume, sea level, or rainfall intensity and location.
Studies have used temperatures derived from clumped isotopes for varied and numerous paleoclimate applications — to constrain δO of past seawater, pinpoint the timing of icehouse-hothouse transitions, track changes in ice volume through an ice age, and to reconstruct temperature changes in ancient lake basins.