All articles tagged with #climate history
Scientists studying water moving through the 400-million-year-old Equisetum horsetail found an extreme oxygen-isotope signature never observed in terrestrial samples, suggesting evaporation-driven isotope enrichment and prompting a rethink of how fossil phytoliths are used to reconstruct ancient climates.
Scientists analyzing stalagmites from caves south of the Atlas Mountains in southern Morocco find rainfall persisted from 8,700 to 4,300 years ago, signaling a greener Sahara; uranium-thorium dating and oxygen isotope analysis tie the wetter period to tropical moisture plumes, and archaeological records show Neolithic communities expanding there as grazing lands widened.
Researchers drilled 523 meters into Crary Ice Rise in West Antarctica to recover a 228‑meter sediment core, revealing a 23‑million‑year archive of climate and ice‑sheet dynamics, including past open‑ocean conditions and potential West Antarctic Ice Sheet retreats during warmer periods, informing predictions of future sea‑level rise under ongoing warming.
New computer-model research shows Earth’s plate movements—especially mid-ocean ridges and continental rifts—have been a major driver of long-term carbon cycling. Carbon stored in seafloor rocks is released or sequestered as plates move and subduct, helping to trigger greenhouse or icehouse climates over the last 540 million years. Historically, volcanic arcs were thought to dominate carbon release, but the study finds that divergent plate boundaries played a larger role, with arc emissions rising mainly in the last ~120 million years due to the evolution of planktic calcifiers.
Scientists from the University of New Mexico discovered that ancient horsetails contain water with oxygen isotope ratios so unusual they resemble extraterrestrial materials, offering new insights into Earth's prehistoric climate and aiding the reconstruction of ancient humidity and climate conditions.
Scientists have discovered that stalagmites follow a single mathematical rule based on water drip rate and calcite deposition, which can help improve understanding of past climate conditions by analyzing their layered structures.
Scientists discovered a buried ancient cool-temperate rainforest on the Falkland Islands, dating back to the mid-to-late Cenozoic era, revealing a wetter, forested past that contrasts with the current treeless landscape, and providing valuable data for understanding climate change and ecosystem shifts over millions of years.
Scientists have uncovered a hidden ecosystem beneath Antarctica's ice, centered around the ancient Transantarctic Mountains, which have shaped the continent's geological and climatic history over hundreds of millions of years. These findings, including fossilized trees and insights into tectonic activity, enhance understanding of Earth's past climate cycles and could inform predictions about future climate change impacts.
NASA scientists using space imagery discovered a white salt deposit on a volcanic peak in the Sahara, revealing evidence of an ancient lake and the region's past green, water-rich climate, highlighting the Sahara's dramatic environmental changes over millennia.
An ancient tree has revealed evidence of a catastrophic solar storm that occurred thousands of years ago, providing new insights into historical solar activity and its potential impact on Earth.
Scientists have reconstructed detailed sea level variations over the past 540 million years, revealing short-term fluctuations linked to climate cycles and ice sheet dynamics, which improve understanding of Earth's geological history and aid in resource management.
A new study suggests that thick, mineral-rich clay layers on Mars, formed around 3.7 billion years ago in stable, water-rich environments, could potentially harbor signs of past life, offering insights into the planet's ancient climate and habitability.
Researchers discovered a well-preserved ancient forest beneath the current treeless landscape of the Falkland Islands, dating back 15 to 30 million years, providing insights into past climate conditions and wind patterns, and highlighting the impact of climate change and wind stress on the region's vegetation and peatlands.
Pacific sediment cores are crucial for understanding Earth's past climate, but limited sampling and aging infrastructure hinder comprehensive insights. New drilling technologies and international collaboration are essential to fill data gaps, improve climate models, and better predict future climate changes.
A study from the University of Colorado Boulder provides strong evidence supporting the Snowball Earth theory, suggesting Earth was once entirely frozen, even at the equator, between 720 and 635 million years ago. Researchers analyzed ancient rock formations in Colorado, finding that glaciers likely covered the planet, impacting early life and possibly facilitating the evolution of multicellular organisms. The study highlights the importance of geological research in understanding Earth's climatic history and its influence on life's evolution.