Astronomical forcing of Earth’s climate is embedded in the rhythms of stratigraphic records, most famously as short-period (10^4–10^5 year) Milankovitch cycles. Astronomical grand cycles with periods of millions of years also modulate climate variability but have been detected in relatively few proxy records. Here, we apply spectral analysis to a dataset of Cenozoic deep-sea hiatuses to reveal a ~2.4 Myr eccentricity signal, disrupted by episodes of major tectonic forcing. We propose that maxima in the hiatus cycles correspond to orbitally- forced intensification of deep-water circulation and erosive bottom current activity, linked to eccentricity maxima and peaks in insolation and seasonality. A prominent episode of cyclicity disturbance coincides with the Paleocene- Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) at ~56 Myr ago, and correlates with a chaotic orbital transition in the Solar System evident in several astronomical solutions. This hints at a potential intriguing coupling between the PETM and Solar System chaos.
Time-series analysis of global hiatus-frequency data. Read the paper for more details.
Media Release: Mars attracts: how Earth’s planetary interactions drive deep-sea circulation
New Scientist: Mars’s gravitational pull may be strong enough to stir Earth’s oceans
Newsweek: Mars Has Unexpected Effect on Earth’s Deep Oceans
CNN: Mars could be driving ‘giant whirlpools’ in the Earth’s deep oceans, new study finds
NBC: New study uncovers Mars’ role in Earth’s climate cycles
The Times: Mars’s influence on climate and currents revealed by seabed drilling
The Telegraph: Mars influences Earth’s climate, scientists discover
IFL Science: Mars’s Gravity May Be Strong Enough To Influence Earth’s Deep Ocean Currents
Cosmos: Mars gravity drives ocean currents on Earth
SPACE.com: Mars attracts: How the Red Planet influences Earth’s climate and seas
Reddit: Mars influences Earth’s climate, scientists discover
MDR Wissen: Wie der Mars Klima und Tiefseeströmungen auf der Erde beeinflusst
Süddeutsche Zeitung: Wie der Mars die Ozeane auf der Erde beeinflusst
SINC: Las interacciones entre Marte y la Tierra impulsan la circulación de las aguas profundas
India Today: Mars secretly makes Earth’s oceans dance to its tunes
CNRS: Chaos dans le Système Solaire et événements climatiques extrêmes?
Le Monde: The dance of Earth and Mars recorded at the bottom of the oceans
Atlas Obscura: Is Mars messing with us?
