SwitchBEAT

Unlocking the role of global ice volume in driving Earth’s Coolhouse climate beat

Earth’s changing climate is inexorably linked to the energy received from the Sun, which varies rhythmically with changes in the eccentricity of Earth's orbit, changes in Earth’s tilt and climatic precession. Earth redistributes this solar energy, sustaining warmer and cooler climate states over millions of years (Myr), on which a higher-frequency climate response is observed in the geological record, beating in tune with these orbital variations. As part of this Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship, we are investigating how the size and location of major ice sheets influence the way Earth’s climatic responds to the semi-periodic energy the Earth receives from the sun. We are using the chemistry and mineralogy of deep-sea sediments to estimate past ice volume and consider the driving forces behind differing climate beats observed during major ice growth events. Refining our understanding of how Earth’s climate beat varied with changing ice volume will provide insight as to how ice loss in a warmer Earth may affect future climate.

Leicester team: Anna Joy Drury (PI), Sue Sampson

Funder: Royal Society