Mars might be millions of miles away, but it’s secretly affecting Earth’s deep oceans! Scientists have discovered that the gravitational pull of Mars has a tiny but real impact on our planet’s tides. Over long periods, this force could be influencing deep-sea currents and even climate patterns. 🌍🌊 While the Moon and Sun have the biggest effect on our tides, Mars adds a little extra push that scientists are just starting to understand. This could change what we know about Earth’s ocean cycles and weather. Crazy to think that a planet so far away is still making waves - literally! Credit:
NASA Goddard / YouTube
Copernicus Marine Service / YouTube
NASA Goddard / YouTube
CEOAS - Oregon State / YouTube
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Copernicus Marine Service / YouTube
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Animation is created by Bright Side.
#brightside
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FunTranscript
00:00Mars can be secretly messing up the depths of our oceans.
00:04The red planet is 140 million miles away from Earth, so we once thought that it couldn't
00:09have much of an impact on us.
00:12But that changed recently with the discovery of some kind of butterfly effect.
00:17What starts with a small gravitational pull in space ends up creating giant whirlpools
00:22down here.
00:24This suspicion began when scientists decided to explore almost 300 deep holes drilled in
00:29the ocean floor, which were made back in the 60s.
00:33Their goal was to understand the strength of deep ocean currents by analyzing sediments,
00:39I mean materials like sand or mud that accumulated at the bottom of the ocean over the last 65
00:45million years.
00:47The bottom of the ocean has layers upon layers of sediments.
00:50When these layers show a continuous pattern, it means that the materials have been gradually
00:55layering over time without any sudden interruptions.
00:59In other words, deep currents were calm and stable.
01:02But the researchers also noticed a strange pattern.
01:06During specific time periods, they couldn't find any records of sedimentation, which means
01:11that something else was interrupting this process.
01:14The most likely reason for these gaps was the presence of intense currents at the bottom
01:19of the sea.
01:20Because they were so strong, they probably moved sediments from their original spots.
01:25But here's the weird part.
01:26All the gaps identified in the study occurred at intervals of exactly 2.4 million years.
01:33The data showed a total of 27 gaps.
01:36That can't just be a coincidence.
01:38So the scientists realized they were not checking simple breaks in the sedimentation process.
01:43They were analyzing the presence of cycles.
01:47According to experts, the only plausible explanation for them lies in space and is probably the
01:52result of something known as the Astronomical Grand Cycles.
01:57To understand this process, we first need to mention the Milankovic Cycles.
02:02They're named after the Serbian scientist who suggested a century ago that changes in
02:07the way Earth moves around the Sun and tilts on its axis can affect Earth's long-term
02:12climate.
02:13The thing is, the movements of Earth can be affected by many things, including other planets.
02:19Normally, our planet's orbit around the Sun isn't a perfect circle, but it's pretty close.
02:25However, from time to time, this path is directly affected by the gravitational pull of Jupiter
02:30and Saturn.
02:31So it's kind of like these two giant planets can pull our orbit, causing it to become more
02:37elliptical.
02:39Variations like this can affect the amount and distribution of sunlight, changing the
02:44climate here on Earth.
02:46According to the Milankovic Theory, Earth's climate patterns change in cycles of 405,000
02:52years, 100,000 years, 41,000 years, and 23,000 years.
02:59And the theory is that these cycles might trigger the beginning and the end of glaciation
03:04periods, also known as ice ages.
03:07His theories were actually confirmed in the 70s by scientists who were also looking for
03:12evidence of these cycles in ocean floor sediments.
03:15Recent calculations have shown that, besides the Milankovic cycles, there are climate changes
03:20that follow much slower rhythms.
03:23They don't change every tens of thousands of years.
03:26Nope, we're talking about periods that stretch out over millions of years.
03:31And this is exactly what the astronomical grand cycles that I mentioned earlier are
03:35about.
03:37We know about such events basically because of evidence based on mathematics and computer
03:42But it is really, really hard to find any geological proof of the existence of these
03:47million-year astrological cycles, or any clue of how they affect Earth.
03:53That is, until now.
03:56Turns out, what scientists found at the bottom of the ocean could be just the proof we needed.
04:01And that's because the 2.4 million period lines up exactly with records of interactions
04:07between Earth and Mars.
04:09As the two planets chart their orbital paths, their gravitational fields interact in a process
04:14known as resonance.
04:16Yep, exactly like what happens with Jupiter and Saturn.
04:21From time to time, the gravitational forces of the red planet pull our orbit a bit closer
04:26to the Sun.
04:27And just like the shorter Milankovic cycles, this grand cycle also affects our climate.
04:33In this case, by increasing the solar radiation that reaches Earth, making our planet warmer.
04:39To be honest, experts believe that this amount of extra solar radiation that Mars can somehow
04:44give us is not that big of a deal.
04:47I mean, it's not going to make our planet so hot that it will make us feel like we're
04:51stepping onto the Sun.
04:53But this slight difference in climate can be enough to change some behaviors on Earth,
04:58such as ocean currents.
05:00Warmer climates tend to produce more frequent major storms, and that often produces sediment-stirring
05:06eddies, also described as giant whirlpools, which can reach the seafloor at the deepest
05:12parts of the ocean, known as the abyss.
05:16Finding those gaps in the deep ocean sediment record is really impressive because it's
05:21probably the strongest evidence we have of the astronomical grand cycles.
05:26As I mentioned at the beginning of the video, it's all like the butterfly effect.
05:30Every 2.4 million years, Mars' gravitational pull shifts Earth's path around the Sun,
05:36causing our climate to warm up.
05:38And when the planet is warmer, it can lead to the formation of large whirlpools, which
05:42end up turning the deep ocean waters upside down.
05:46And there's one more thing.
05:48The cycles found in the research also line up with already known periods of warmer climate
05:53throughout world history, like the famous Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum.
05:59This event took place around 56 million years ago, when Earth was warmed by about 14°F.
06:05Loads of theories have popped up trying to figure this out, like a glitch in Earth's
06:09orbit or maybe the passage of a comet.
06:12But with this new study, it looks like Mars could also be involved in this event.
06:18These new findings are pretty convincing and exciting, sure, but scientists still need
06:23to do more work to link these possible cycles of climate change with deep-sea currents.
06:28I mean, they did a good job of finding an explanation for the sediment gaps, but so
06:32far it's just a suggestion.
06:35Their success is really important for the whole scientific community though.
06:39After all, knowing when exactly these astronomical grand cycles happen and how they affect Earth
06:44can help us a lot, especially to differentiate when climate change happens due to a natural
06:50event and when it occurs due to human intervention.
06:55Studying these whirlpools can also provide scientists with crucial insight into how climate
07:00change affects ocean circulation.
07:03So another reason why this finding is so crucial has to do with the potential collapse of the
07:08Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation.
07:12In short, this is a system of ocean currents that circulates water within the Atlantic
07:17Ocean, being responsible for bringing warm water north and cold water south.
07:23This is what brings warmth to different parts of the globe and also carries nutrients necessary
07:28to sustain ocean life.
07:30However, there are some fears that this system might stop or become too slow anytime soon.
07:36If that happens, oxygen-rich surface waters would no longer mix with deeper waters.
07:42But the good thing is that this possible link between Mars and Earth gives a positive take
07:46on this situation by suggesting that in a warmer world, more intense deep ocean currents
07:51may prevent our seas from stagnating.
07:54But again, it's just a suggestion.
07:57The evidence is still thin.
07:59Some skeptical experts like to point out that, although eddies have indeed become more active
08:04over the past few decades, satellite observations have shown that their currents aren't always
08:09able to reach the seafloor and maintain an effective water circulation.
08:13For now, all we know is that it's hard to say who is right.
08:17Only the following studies will tell.