Newly resolved stratigraphic records from late Paleozoic, ice-proximal basins of Gondwana provide an ideal framework for interpreting independently derived, temporal trends in the stable carbon and oxygen isotope compositions of paleotropical marine carbonates. Similarities in the timing and mode of environmental changes inferred from direct (stratigraphic) and proxy (isotopic) records suggest near-simultaneous climate variations that may be traced across high-latitude Gondwana and into the tropical to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. These results draw attention to the potential for using the records of widespread climate events as correlation tools. Disparities among records reflect differences in how climate signals are...