An analysis of deep-sea drill cores suggests that Mars may have enough gravitational influence to shift sediment within Earth's oceans on a 2.4-million-year cycle
The gravitational tug of Mars may be strong enough to stir up Earth’s ocean, shifting its sediments as part of a 2.4-million-year climate cycle, researchers claim.
It has long been accepted that wobbles in Earth’s orbit around the sun influence the planet’s climate, with these Milankovitch cycles operating on periods measured in thousands of years. Now,at the University of Sydney and her colleagues say they have found a 2.4-million-year “Grand Cycle”, which they believe is driven by Mars and has had dramatic impacts on currents in Earth’s oceans for at least 40 million years.
According to the team, absences or hiatuses in the sediment deposition record line up with times when Mars’s gravity exerts maximum force on Earth, subtly impacting our planet’s orbital stability. This changes solar radiation levels and climate, manifesting as stronger currents and eddies in the oceans., also at the University of Sydney, acknowledges that the distance between Earth and Mars is so vast that it is hard to conceive of any significant gravitational force being exerted.
“I’m sceptical of the link to Mars, given its gravitational pull on Earth is so weak – at only about one one-millionth of that of the sun,” he says. “Even Jupiter has a stronger gravitational field for Earth.” England also points out that even if Mars is having an influence, it is nothing compared with human-driven climate change. “Greenhouse gas forcing is like a sledgehammer in comparison, so this has no bearing on present-day climate, where we are seeing melting ice sheets reduce the ocean overturning circulation.”
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Every 2.4 million years, Mars tugs on Earth so hard it changes the ocean floorEmily is a health news writer based in London, United Kingdom. She holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Durham University and a master's degree in clinical and therapeutic neuroscience from Oxford University. She has worked in science communication, medical writing and as a local news reporter while undertaking journalism training.
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