Mars Has a Strange and Periodic Impact On Earth With Massive Climate Implications
Mars is really far away, between 33.9 million miles at its closest and 250 million miles away at its furthest. However, that doesn’t mean our planetary neighbor doesn’t still have an effect on Earth and new research suggests it may impact our oceanic currents.
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00:04 Mars is really far away, between 33.9 million miles at its closest and 250 million miles
00:10 away at its furthest.
00:11 However, that doesn't mean our planetary neighbor doesn't still have an effect on
00:15 Earth, and new research suggests it may impact our oceanic currents.
00:19 It's all part of what experts have recently coined the "Grand Cycle" or the multi-million
00:23 year pattern they have identified as happening in our solar system.
00:27 We know of other planets impacting processes on Earth.
00:29 In fact, Jupiter and Saturn's gravitational pull on our planet are believed to be what
00:33 causes periodic ice ages.
00:35 However, researchers have now identified Mars as causing changes on Earth as well.
00:40 More specifically, our deep sea ocean currents.
00:42 They looked at 293 deep sea drill sites and identified 387 sedimentary breaks in the last
00:49 65 million years, meaning there's a 2.4 million year deep sea ocean current cycle,
00:54 one that corresponds to the gravitational dance between Earth and Mars.
00:58 One of these cycles even lined up with the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, where Earth
01:02 got 14.4 degrees warmer.
01:05 And this is sort of good news with regards to climate change, as experts believe the
01:09 Gulf Stream might halt if too much fresh water melted into the ocean.
01:12 But this evidence suggests it might simply change instead.
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