New insights into the dynamics of ocean features known as deep chlorophyll maxima set the stage for better understanding of their role in carbon cycling.
proxies
Holy Water: Miracle Accounts and Proxy Data Tell a Climate Story
In 6th century Italy, saints were said to perform an unusual number of water miracles. Paleoclimatological data from a stalagmite may reveal why.
Tracking Excess Nitrogen with Freshwater Mussels
Mussel shell periostracum and carbonate bound organic matter document seasonal variability in the isotopic composition of riverine suspended particulate organic matter.
Stalagmite Layers Reveal Hidden Climate Stories
A global investigation discovers where annually laminated stalagmites are found, analyzes their growth properties, and explains how they can be best used in Earth science research.
Podcast: What Tree Rings Can Tell Us About the U.S. Civil War
Climate change–induced drought may have had an influence on the Civil War.
Geologists Have a New Tool for Reconstructing the Ancient Climate
A new study of seafloor sediments finds that the temperature record in the early Paleozoic corresponds to significant shifts in the diversity of life on Earth.
Terrestrial Plants Flourished After the Cretaceous–Paleogene Extinction
Compounds in ancient plant leaves tell the story of how an extinction event shaped our planet’s ecosystems.
A Robust Proxy for Geomagnetic Reversal Rates in Deep Time
The strength of Earth’s magnetic field in the distant past can tell scientists whether the planet’s magnetic poles were steady or prone to frequent reversals.
Bat Guano Traces Changes in Agriculture and Hurricane Activity
Researchers hiked and rappeled into two caves in Jamaica to collect over 40 kilograms of excrement.
Improving Proxy Representations of Ocean Properties
Many oceanic properties are not directly observed but are instead estimated using proxy measurements. A new method uses physics-based correlations to reduce uncertainty in this relationship.
