Mars’s Hidden Gravity Tunes Earth’s Climate Across Millennia
A Nature Communications study finds Mars subtly nudging Earth’s orbit through gravitational resonance—altering orbital eccentricity every 26 months and, over millions of years, affecting how much solar energy Earth receives. Geological records from the deep ocean show a ~2.4-million-year cycle tied to stronger deep currents and abyssal eddies, linking planetary motion to long-term climate and ocean dynamics. While this is an ancient, slow driver and not responsible for today’s warming, it helps refine climate models and underlines ocean-system resilience (even if AMOC slows or changes).