dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaThe glacial cycles and cosmic rays
| Authors | J. Kirkby, A. Mangini, R. A. Muller |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0407005 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0407005 |
Abstract
The cause of the glacial cycles remains a mystery. The origin is widely accepted to be astronomical since paleoclimatic archives contain strong spectral components that match the frequencies of Earth's orbital modulation. Milankovitch insolation theory contains similar frequencies and has become established as the standard model of the glacial cycles. However, high precision paleoclimatic data have revealed serious discrepancies with the Milankovitch model that fundamentally challenge its validity and re-open the question of what causes the glacial cycles. We propose here that the ice ages are initially driven not by insolation cycles but by cosmic ray changes, probably through their effect on clouds. This conclusion is based on a wide range of evidence, including results presented here on speleothem growth in caves in Austria and Oman, and on a record of cosmic ray flux over the past 220 kyr obtained from the 10Be composition of deep-ocean sediments.
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"abstract": "The cause of the glacial cycles remains a mystery. The origin is widely\naccepted to be astronomical since paleoclimatic archives contain strong\nspectral components that match the frequencies of Earth\u0027s orbital modulation.\nMilankovitch insolation theory contains similar frequencies and has become\nestablished as the standard model of the glacial cycles. However, high\nprecision paleoclimatic data have revealed serious discrepancies with the\nMilankovitch model that fundamentally challenge its validity and re-open the\nquestion of what causes the glacial cycles. We propose here that the ice ages\nare initially driven not by insolation cycles but by cosmic ray changes,\nprobably through their effect on clouds. This conclusion is based on a wide\nrange of evidence, including results presented here on speleothem growth in\ncaves in Austria and Oman, and on a record of cosmic ray flux over the past 220\nkyr obtained from the 10Be composition of deep-ocean sediments.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0407005",
"authors": [
"J. Kirkby",
"A. Mangini",
"R. A. Muller"
],
"categories": [
"physics.ao-ph",
"physics.geo-ph",
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],
"title": "The glacial cycles and cosmic rays",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0407005"
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