image: Eccentricity of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. The fluctuation between a nearly circular and elliptical orbit drives cyclic changes in the Earth's environment, including the global carbon cycle. view more
Credit: Image courtesy of Marisa S. Storm.
Researchers report carbon-isotope data from a mudstone core in Wales that shows a carbon-isotopic history for the Early Jurassic epoch; the results show anomalies in the isotope record consistent with orbital cycles on the order of around 405,000 years, suggesting both that orbital signals can be distinguished from other factors affecting carbon-isotope ratios and that the marine carbon cycle is particularly sensitive to such astronomical parameters.
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Article #19-12094: "Orbital pacing and secular evolution of the Early Jurassic carbon cycle," by Marisa S. Storm et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Marisa S. Storm, Stellenbosch University, SOUTH AFRICA; e-mail: <marisastorm@sun.ac.za>
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences