Precession-induced millennial climate cycles in greenhouse Cretaceous
- Author(s)
- Zhifeng Zhang, Yongjian Huang, Tiantian Wang, Qiuzhen Yin, Anne-Christine Da Silva, Eun Young Lee, Hanfei Yang, Chao Ma, Hai Cheng, André Berger, Chengshan Wang
- Abstract
Millennial-scale climate cycles persist throughout greenhouse climates, yet the
mechanisms remain unclear. Here, using proxy reconstructions, we present
centennial-resolution geological records from early Campanian greenhouse
deposits in both mid-latitude East Asia and low-latitude Southern Atlantic.
These records document pronounced millennial (~1–6 kyr) wet-dry climate
cycles. The amplitude modulation relationship between the most prominent
~4–5-kyr cycles (corresponding to the ¼ precession cycle) and eccentricity
aligns perfectly with the theoretically calculated equatorial insolation cycles,
demonstrating the climate effect of this predicted insolation forcing on global
climate. Other millennial cycles primarily emerge from these ~4–5-kyr cycles
via nonlinear amplitude modulation and combination tones. Proxy reconstructions and theoretical calculation thus converge to demonstrate that
during this warm greenhouse period, precession can directly and indirectly
stimulate millennial climate cycles. The deterministic link between astronomical parameters and millennial climate cycles implies that high-frequency
climate oscillations may be predictable in future greenhouse-like climates,
particularly under anthropogenic warming.- Organisation(s)
- Department of Geology
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Volume
- 16
- ISSN
- 2041-1723
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-66219-4
- Publication date
- 11-2025
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 105205 Climate change
- Keywords
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/bdfede7c-9196-46c3-b1aa-ecd9accb9993