A pattern connecting changes in Earth's orbital cycle to climate fluctuations has been discovered by UCSB geologist Lorraine Lisiecki. She found a correlation between the timing of climate change and eccentricity, as well as glacial cycles, which suggests internal instability within the climate system.
Researchers found evidence of tropical sea ice 716.5 million years ago, supporting the theory that Earth experienced a 'snowball Earth' event with ice covering all latitudes. This discovery provides insight into the survival of eukaryotic life during this period.
Fossil land snail shells found on the Canary Islands show a decrease in relative humidity over 50,000 years, with a peak around 15,000-20,000 years ago. This suggests an overall increase in dryness, resulting in the current semiarid conditions.
Researchers at Ohio State University discovered that giant volcanoes played a pivotal role in an ancient ice age and mass extinction. The volcanoes released massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, causing global warming before stopping, which led to the ice age.
Climate model simulations suggest the Toba supervolcano's eruption caused a decade of severe volcanic winters, with devastating consequences for humanity and ecosystems. The study also analyzed fault movement during the Wenchuan earthquake, finding that simultaneous ruptures of two faults contributed to the disaster. Additionally, scie...
Fossils of land plants provide key insights into past climates, revealing that summer temperatures on land remained relatively warm during the Eocene/Oligocene transition, but with increasing seasonality. The researchers found that temperate climate trees such as spruces and hemlock replaced subtropical trees like palms and swamp cypress
Early human fossils found in 500-million-year-old rocks show that ancient pioneers may have carried shells on their backs to breathe, providing insights into how they adapted to life on land. Researchers also discovered large perturbations of the carbon and sulfur cycle accompanying a mass extinction event in South China and linked vol...
Researchers have recorded the earliest evidence of animal life using Hydropyrolysis technology, dating fossil steroids 635-750 million years old. This discovery suggests that simple multicellular animals existed in shallow waters before the Cambrian explosion.
UK scientists claim ancient Earth never froze completely during the Cryogenian Period due to carbon dioxide's insulating effect. This contradicts the Snowball Earth hypothesis, which suggests a fully frozen planet.
Research reveals how intense glacial erosion changes the St. Elias mountain range's internal structure, responding to plate tectonics and climate change. The study provides new insights into the impact of glaciers on mountain formation and evolution.
Researchers found that Martian gullies resemble those in Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys, formed as recently as a few hundred thousand years ago. The study suggests changes in snow accumulation and glaciation are linked to Mars' spin obliquity, indicating dynamic climate change on the planet.
Recent studies shed new light on the late Paleozoic ice age, revealing a dynamic icehouse regime and challenging traditional interpretations. This improved understanding can aid in preparing for rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and global temperature increases.
Scientists at Brown University found evidence of recent glaciation on Mars, challenging the notion that the planet's active climate was confined to the distant past. The team discovered ice packs up to 2.5 kilometers thick existed along Mars' mid-latitude belt as recently as 100 million years ago.
Researchers found evidence of 200,000 year period of widespread glaciation in the 'super greenhouse' climate. Ice sheets were approximately 60% the size of modern Antarctic ice cap and existed when alligators lived in the Arctic.
The Brazilian Atlantic forest has lost 95% of its original size, but researchers have found 'refugia' where the forest is still thriving. These regions may hold the secrets to regenerating the ecosystem.
Analyses of glacial sedimentary rocks in Oman have produced clear evidence of hot-cold cycles during the Cryogenian period, approximately 850-544 million years ago. These findings undermine hypotheses of an ice age so severe that Earth's oceans completely froze over.
A team of scientists has discovered a strong connection between carbon dioxide increase and warming during the Paleozoic Era. The research found that as Gondwana deglaciated and atmospheric CO2 rose, tropical regions became arid and vegetation changed dramatically.
A team of international researchers has uncovered secrets about the earth's climate history by analyzing marine microfossils found five kilometers below sea level. The study reveals that the earth's climate and glaciation events have corresponded with variations in the earth's natural orbital patterns and carbon cycles.
A significant increase in oxygen levels in the world's oceans 580 million years ago likely triggered the sudden emergence of large animal fossils, according to Queen's University researchers. This discovery confirms the importance of oxygen as a catalyst for the early evolution of animals.
Species unique to tidal marshes are vulnerable to habitat loss due to coastal development and sea level rise. Toxic wastes and invasive species also pose a significant threat to these endemic species. The American Institute of Biological Sciences argues for an expanded research program to better understand the impacts of these threats.
New research finds ancient oil droplets containing biomarkers from eukaryotes and cyanobacteria that lived before the planet's glaciation, contradicting previous theories. The study suggests oxygen was produced long before the atmosphere became oxygenated, supporting life in extreme conditions.
The study found a pattern of steady cooling in the EEP over 5 million years, with temperatures dropping by roughly one degree Celsius every million years. The research suggests that ocean regions near Antarctica were the main driver of EEP cooling, contradicting previous theories about rapid glacier growth in high northern latitudes.
Researchers analyze sulfur isotopes in rocks to track oxygen levels, revealing a raucous period of intense volcanic activity that pushed the atmosphere towards an oxygen-rich state. This breakthrough provides new insights into the emergence of oxygen on Earth and its impact on climate.
A recent study using high-resolution stable-isotope analysis from 95-million-year-old fossilized wood found that the mid-Cretaceous period was not a super-greenhouse, but rather had a short-lived glaciation. This new information may help us understand how the biosphere will respond to human-generated alterations of CO2 concentration.
Using a new geochemical tool, researchers documented how fast glaciers eroded the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, finding rates six times faster than rivers and landslides. Glaciers scraped at least 2 kilometers of rock from mountains around 1.8 million years ago, shaping the landscape.
A recent study using lipid biomarker techniques has identified complex and productive microbial ecosystems in prehistoric rocks from southeastern Brazil. This finding challenges the 'Snowball Earth' theory by suggesting that thin ice might have allowed for photosynthesis to occur during extreme glaciation.
Researchers found genetically similar fish in ecologically similar habitats across vast distances, contradicting the idea that geographical barriers drive speciation. This discovery supports ecological speciation and suggests a new approach to understanding biodiversity evolution on land and sea.
Research on Neoproterozoic low-latitude sedimentary rocks reveals that tropical oceans were likely very cold during the Cryogenian period, leading to widespread sea ice. In contrast, a Cretaceous alluvial sequence provides evidence of long-term amplification of the global hydrologic cycle and greenhouse climate signals.
Researchers discovered a correlation between the deepening of the Pacific Ocean's CCD and global cooling approximately 34 million years ago. The study suggests that prolonged absence of warm summers inhibited summer snow melt, leading to ice sheet growth.
Scientists report that marine benthic diversity in Laurentia recovered to pre-extinction levels within 5 million years, nearly 15 million years sooner than suggested by global compilations. This rapid recovery suggests that the region operated differently from the globe as a whole.
Researchers found that eastern chipmunks in Illinois and Wisconsin descend from ancestors who survived the last North American ice age in isolated forest pockets. These chipmunks migrated south, merging with warmer east and south populations, challenging long-held assumptions about glacier-driven population migrations.
A new study finds that the transition from Pliocene to Pleistocene climates was a gradual process, with shifts occurring at different times and regions. The findings suggest that regional responses played a key role in this transition, leading to a modern climate system more sensitive to small perturbations.
Researchers analyzed sediment cores to reconstruct climate over the last 5 million years, finding a gradual transition from warmer Pliocene to cooler Pleistocene climates. The climate system became more sensitive to small perturbations, leading to dramatic swings in climate patterns.
A team of geologists has discovered evidence of at least three Cryogenian glaciations, with ages estimated to be around 663 million years ago. The new findings confirm a previously hypothesized 'snowball Earth' scenario and suggest significant climate changes may have led to extinctions.
Researchers discovered that the oldest Toba eruption, 788,000 years ago, may have triggered a glacial period rather than contributing to it. The study suggests that factors other than volcanism played a more significant role in governing glacial to interglacial transitions over the last 3 million years.
Emerging life played a role in moderating ice ages that resulted in today's moderate climate. Microscopic marine plants and animals that produce calcium carbonate skeletons and shells help regulate aquatic chemistry, controlling the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
A recent UC Riverside study shows that glaciers once existed in the southernmost region of North America, as recently as 5,000-10,000 years ago. This finding has implications for understanding past climate change and testing the validity of computer models predicting future climate change.
A UMass study suggests that greenhouse gases were the primary driver behind the rapid formation of Antarctica's ice sheet, contradicting a long-held theory on plate tectonics. The researchers used computer simulations to recreate the world 34 million years ago and found that a drop in carbon dioxide levels triggered the glaciation.
The increasingly salty Mediterranean could lead to a new ice age in Canada due to changes in Atlantic circulation patterns. This is because the saltiness of the Mediterranean water makes it dense enough to sink easily, allowing warm water to replace it and keep seas south of Greenland relatively warm.
A new climate study found that glaciers in the tropical Andes Mountains retreated several thousand years earlier than North American glaciers during a period of wet climate conditions. The research contradicts traditional thinking on global glaciation and suggests an alternative trigger for climate change.
Scientists have discovered that ancient underground fractures in Ohio soil can contaminate water supplies quickly, posing a threat to the state's groundwater. Research suggests that these fractures allow contaminated water to bypass purification and travel through the soil, potentially endangering water sources.
Researchers propose that deep mantle volcanic plumes caused a sudden increase in oxygen levels, allowing for the emergence of life. The theory suggests that these plumes, rich in iron oxide, were fueled by buried magma and led to the formation of glaciers.
A Penn State meteorologist suggests that tilt is the key to understanding both the Faint Young Sun problem and the Snowball Earth problem, proposing a solution where the Earth's axis is tilted at 70 degrees. This theory could potentially explain why the Earth was warmer in the early Precambrian despite a weaker sun.
A Penn State researcher suggests that increasing oxygen levels may have triggered the first of three past episodes when the Earth became a giant snowball, covered from pole to pole by ice and frozen oceans. The study proposes that low methane levels and high carbon dioxide levels were responsible for the glaciation process.
A sudden 200-year cold event about 8,200 years ago could provide insights into rapid climate change. The 8k event, as it's called, saw temperatures drop by 11 degrees Fahrenheit in the North Atlantic region.