Mars Is Secretly Changing Our Deep Oceans

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