Researchers have discovered a previously unknown climate mechanism during the Cretaceous period, linking continental movement with disruptions in ocean currents that affected temperature gradients. This study not only deepens our understanding of ancient climate dynamics but also emphasizes the role of oceanic processes in today’s climate system.
A groundbreaking study has uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that significantly influences Earth’s climate.
The research was conducted by Hebrew University’s Ph.D. candidate, Kaushal Gianchandani, under the guidance of Professors Nathan Paldor and Hezi Gildor from the Institute of Earth Sciences at the Hebrew University, in collaboration with Prof. Ori Adam and Sagi Maor from the Hebrew University along with Dr Alexander Farnsworth and Prof. David Lunt from the University of Bristol, UK.
This cutting-edge research, published in Nature Communication, applies a novel analytic model developed by the three Hebrew University researchers two years ago, focusing on wind-driven circulation at the ocean’s surface and highlighting the pivotal role of ocean basin geometry.
This study explores the climate during the Cretaceous period, around 145 to 66 million years ago when there was a lot of carbon dioxide (warming gas) in the air. It looks at how big ocean swirls, which move warm water from the tropics to the poles, influenced the temperature difference between these two regions. This temperature difference is crucial for understanding why there were so many different kinds of plants and animals during the Cretaceous period.
In their research, the scientists aimed to uncover the complex relationship between changes in ocean current patterns (gyral circulation) that result from the arrangement of continents on Earth and variations in temperature gradients during the Cretaceous era when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. To do this, they conducted a thorough analysis using computer models that simulate ancient climates.
Their findings revealed that the movement of Earth’s continents during the Cretaceous period caused a slowdown in the large swirling ocean currents responsible for carrying warm water from the equator to the poles. This slowdown disrupted the way the ocean regulated its surface temperatures, resulting in a significant increase in temperature differences between the poles and the tropics during that time. These findings align with geological evidence from the Cretaceous era, providing a more comprehensive understanding of past climate dynamics.
Key takeaways:
- Discovery of a Previously Unknown Mechanism: The study has unveiled a previously unknown mechanism that significantly influenced Earth’s climate during the Cretaceous period. This mechanism is related to changes in the distribution of the continents which affects ocean current patterns and their impact on temperature gradients.
- Implications for Contemporary Climate: While the study primarily focuses on the Cretaceous period, it has implications for our understanding of contemporary climate systems. It highlights the importance of ocean gyres (circulation patterns) in shaping climate dynamics, both in the past and today. It underscores the complexity of Earth’s climate and the strong effect that processes other than CO2 concentration might have on it.
- Focus on Cretaceous Period: The research primarily focuses on the climate during the Cretaceous period, which occurred approximately 145 to 66 million years ago. This period is of interest because it was characterized by high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is a greenhouse gas that can influence global temperatures.
- Role of Ocean Swirls (Gyral Circulation): The study investigates the role of large ocean swirls, known as gyral circulation, in transporting warm water from the tropics to the poles. Understanding how these currents influenced temperature differences between the poles and the tropics is crucial for comprehending the biodiversity and climate of the Cretaceous period.
- Impact of Continental Movement: The research findings suggest that the movement of Earth’s continents during the Cretaceous period disrupted the large ocean currents responsible for transporting warm water. This disruption led to significant increases in temperature differences between the poles and the tropics during that time.
- Validation with Geological Evidence: The study’s findings align with geological evidence from the Cretaceous era, providing further support for the proposed mechanisms and enhancing our understanding of past climate dynamics.
In summary, this research helps us gain insights into the complex relationship between ocean circulation patterns, equator-to-pole temperature differences, and past climate conditions. While it primarily contributes to our understanding of Earth’s ancient climate, it also underscores the significance of oceanic processes in shaping contemporary climate systems. This knowledge can potentially aid in modeling and predicting the impacts of climate change in the modern era, as ocean circulation patterns continue to play a crucial role in regulating global climate.
Reference: “Effects of paleogeographic changes and CO2 variability on northern mid-latitudinal temperature gradients in the Cretaceous” by Kaushal Gianchandani, Sagi Maor, Ori Adam, Alexander Farnsworth, Hezi Gildor, Daniel J. Lunt and Nathan Paldor, 25 August 2023, Nature Communications.
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40905-7
I don’t think that the authors should be so surprised. After all, orogenies, such as the Laramide in late-Cretaceous time (resulting from subduction of tectonic plates), subsequent volcanic activity, and rising mountains blocking and uplifting air currents, are known to affect weather; climate is the long-term average of weather. Furthermore, the average rate of movement of tectonic plates is about 10X that of sea level rise!
No one is surprised – the man made dangerously rapid global warming due to adding greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide is often a lesser climate driver in normal climate regimes. That is the significance of the work, as well as improving our understanding of man made global warming.
The plate speeds impacts sea level rise insignificantly (by dragging some water down during subduction but also having subduction margin volcanoes release it back). The current rapid sea level rise is due to the oceans heating up from man made global warning, everybody knows or should know that.
“(by dragging some water down during subduction but also having subduction margin volcanoes release it back)”
More than that. Spreading centers widen the oceans and isostatic adjustment from the weight of the overlying water changes the depth as well. Orogeny is the result of subduction, and to a lesser extent, transverse faults can create smaller mountains such as the Coast Ranges of California cut by the San Andreas Fault. Mountains, such as the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains, remove rock from the ocean basins by vertical displacement, lowering sea level. When the mountains are reduced to a peneplain, the detritus fills basins (such as the Sacramento Valley), with most of it ending up in the oceans, increasing sea level. I don’t think that you have a good understanding of plate tectonics and the erosion cycle.
Keep telling yourself, “It is all the fault of people. Nature plays no role.”
“The plate speeds impacts sea level rise insignificantly …”
Did you read the paper? The authors state, “… focusing on wind-driven circulation at the ocean’s surface and highlighting the PIVOTAL role of ocean basin geometry.” If you accept their conclusion, than the fact that tectonic plates move at least 10X faster than sea level, IS important in the big picture of climate.
What I wonder is if their models too in the effects of the water in the Western Interior Seaway covering much of North America, and another Seaway covering much of Europe. These would be corridors transporting warmer waters toward the North Pole, and returning colder water to the Equator. In addition, Earth was smaller, the Atmosphere was taller, the Elevation of the 1/2 Pressure was above 36,000 feet, and it gradually became lower as the Earth grew larger. The Oldest, Largest, and slenderest Sauropods were 17 times the Volume of Male African Elephants, and gradually got smaller, as the Earth got larger and gained more mass. At around 168 Million years ago 17 X Sauropods lived in 0.388911 gravity, and by around 150 Ma, they were 15 X = 0.405480 gravity. This is Volume ratio raised to the 2/3 rds power divided by Volume Ratio. EG: 15^(2/3) / 15 = 0.405480 g.
So over the long time period of the Cretaceous, Everything changed, Atmospheric Volume, Pressure, Temperature, Max Altitude, Elevation of the Half Pressure, Ocean Volumes, and Percent Land covered by Oceans, and Seaways. Ocean Basins formed and grew larger, while the depth of the Ocean Basin Waters Became shallower, the sea floors rose as the Basins continually formed, and the overburden water, and air pressure diminished. The rising of the Ocean Basin floors created a bending moment at the edges which initiated subduction, which in turn shoved a lot of materials down into the Earth which created lots of continental mountain ranges. The Increase in the Earth’s surface area created lots of Grabbens and Horsts ( down blocks, and Up blocks ), and created the Basin and Range of the Western North American Continent ( stretching, and pull-a-parts ). Most of the Continents Migrated toward the North Pole, and one Moved to the South Pole. All of these changes created a vastly complicated process of very long term climate changes.
Ice tried its hand at covering the poles around 40 plus million years ago, and finally succeeded at covering the poles around 37 million years ago. There have been several times that the ice has gotten very thick, and far south, and then there were shorter times when the ice melted back toward the poles, and mountain glaciers melted away.
We are currently in one of these melt down periods, but, it will not last. There will be a reversal, and the ice will start heading toward the equator again.
So Unless their models took into account All of the VAST number of Vertical, Horizontal, Volumetric, Temperature, Pressure, Milankovitch Cycles, Water on Continents, Water Off Continents, Mountain Building, Ocean Basin Building, Earth Volume, and Surface Area Increases, and Continents Migrating toward locations of lower gravitational elevation,
I think I would have to look at it many times to see if it is even reasonable.
For Example, there was Temperate Climate Vegetation at 4 Miles UP in Siberia during the Cretaceous. Which is amazing since Siberia is so far North, and gets extremely cold now.
So, How much deeper does the atmosphere really need to be to keep the weather from ever freezing near the poles. How Much CO2 is needed to keeps Sauropods always feasting on trees by Eating Continuously, getting ever slightly larger, even at the poles ? How Much Oxygen did they need ?
MWC
Earth has insignificant mass change.
And it is AFAIK currently projected that there will be no new glaciation since man made release of greenhouse gases has overwhelmed the climate effects of the orbital change mechanism that controls the glaciation periods.
Everyone ignores the Solar cycles…..more flares…..more heat our planet absorbs…….a few are now accepting the Sun as a climate driver
No climate scientist ignores any climate factors, those and more goes into the models. IIRC the Sun variability if a 0.1 % driver of climate.
But the dominating driver today is man made greenhouse gas additions.
“No climate scientist ignores any climate factors, …”
Not quite true. There has been a small variation in insolation during recent solar sun spot cycles, and that has been included. However, I don’t think that the spectral composition (more UV when sun spot numbers are high) has been taken into account. More to the point, we don’t know what caused the LIA that corresponds in time with the Maunder Minimum, so that ISN’T taken into consideration.
You seem to be reasonably well read. However, I don’t think that your level of acceptance of the reigning paradigm is warranted. Why do the climate models perform so poorly?
Do they also believe that ocean currents are orchestrated by a magic badger that lives in a cave beneath the seas powering them with fairy dust and unicorn farts? If not, go study at a non-cult university and prove it there where facts matter.
Talking like a MAGA Trumpist is not common sense.
There are so many factors that play into climate activity. I agree that this could very well be one of them. During that time, the earth was going through a lot of changes. I think there was two continents at that time, which broke up into what we have today. And we are still seeing movements of land mass, although at a much slower rate than back then. It could still be having an effect. Solar flares are also a known factor, so how had they played into this as well? There were I believe, more volcanic activity then as well, and how had that effected the climate, as well as the activity today?
There was also more CO2 during the Devonian time period, and that again produced more life, and different climate. Yes CO2 is a greenhouse gas, and when there is more CO2, there is also more diverse life. And it is well known that the climate never stops changing, because there are so many factors involved. So how much do we know, and how much do we not know? That I think is the real question.
We do know without reasonable doubt that current global warming is caused by man made additions of greenhouse gases, most importantly CO2.
The significance level was just 2 sigma in the 00’s, but today it is 3 sigma. It is so bad now that anyone can take a spreadsheet program, fit global temperature and CO2 data and make a significance test. I.e. there is no question that you don’t need to be a climate scientist to know what they know. You just have to follow the evidence.
“… anyone can take a spreadsheet program, fit global temperature and CO2 data and make a significance test.”
It appears that you do not know that correlation does not prove causation. Try exchanging the (assumed) dependent variable and the independent variable and see what happens to the correlation coefficient. Are you aware that there is a high correlation between drownings and ice cream sales? It is called a “spurious correlation.” Very commonly, time-series data will exhibit a high correlation between variables collected over the same time period.
Try reading this: https://judithcurry.com/2023/09/26/causality-and-climate/
The research. . . “underscores the complexity of Earth’s climate and the strong effect that processes other than CO2 concentration might have on it”.
So can we now pause the economically and socially suicidal dash to Net Zero, at least long enough to investigatge those “other processes”?
Or would this put a fatal spanner in the works of the globalist agenda aimed at ensuring we own nothing, have no privacy but are happy?
Like when we went from coal to oil? It was a catastrophe. Gtoing from wood to coal stole all our freedom and made the government steal all our privacy even though Republican doctrine rejects privacy as a constitutional right. Then the shift from coal to oil destroyed our freedom and made the government all powerful and now shifting to renewable energy where people get more energy for less money is going to result in the government destroying everything. We were better off eating raw meat before fire was invented. Getting more energy for less money is going to destroy our freedom. That is why we need to stop having free and fair elections and instead put an orange monster in as a dictator and outlaw science altogether. We need to keep everything the same because new technology is evil and steals our freedom. Having an orange dictator is the best way to stay free. An orange dictator that does whatever he wants to us is the only way to preserve our freedom.
We *have* investigated “other processes” – this process is just elaborating on how too rapid man made global warning is destroying our economy.
Today it is cheaper to fix our greenhouse gas releases than to not do it, it is not fixing it that compromise economic growth. You may want to make a political issue by populist scaring, but consumers will want to go for the cheap (and less dangerous) option – and that is also the global consensus: abide by the Paris agreement!
Who is “We?” Are you a climatology researcher?
One has to wonder about their technique… “they conducted a thorough analysis using computer models that simulate ancient climates.” Isn’t that essentially coming to the conclusion you want wherever you want?
And, they apparently ignored the late Eocene when CO2 was double today’s value and the polar ice sheets began to form.
Have you read the paper? If not, you cannot reasonably start to criticize it.
Maria Bartiromo is one very intelligent woman in SO many different areas!!! Science, finance, tech etc…
❤️❤️👍
I thought this was already known, and maybe there’s more to it?
The separation of Australia and the collision of the India plates both were already considered responsible for climate changes in their times. And the split of Gondwanaland and prior supercontinents are constantly stated as responsible.
Is it just the ocean currents thats new? But Australia’zs Cretacious impact on the Antarctic Circle current was also asserted.
I just don’t get it.
Like when we went from coal to oil? It was a catastrophe. Gtoing from wood to coal stole all our freedom and made the government steal all our privacy even though Republican doctrine rejects privacy as a constitutional right. Then the shift from coal to oil destroyed our freedom and made the government all powerful and now shifting to renewable energy where people get more energy for less money is going to result in the government destroying everything. We were better off eating raw meat before fire was invented. Getting more energy for less money is going to destroy our freedom. That is why we need to stop having free and fair elections and instead put an orange monster in as a dictator and outlaw science altogether. We need to keep everything the same because new technology is evil and steals our freedom. Having an orange dictator is the best way to stay free. An orange dictator that does whatever he wants to us is the only way to preserve our freedom.