Sand-sized fossils hold secrets to the history of climate change

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🗞️ Driving the news: New research using sand-sized fossils known as foraminifera has uncovered how the polar Southern Ocean released carbon dioxide during the last deglaciation, ending the last ice age
• The study, published in Nature Communications, reveals that both biological and physical processes contributed to the CO₂ surge

🔭 The context: Between 20,000 and 10,000 years ago, atmospheric CO₂ levels rose sharply, triggering rapid global warming and glacier melt
• Researchers analysed fossil shells from seafloor mud south of Tasmania to reconstruct past seawater chemistry and CO₂ release patterns
• These findings fill gaps in understanding how the Southern Ocean regulates global climate

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The Southern Ocean plays a crucial role in carbon cycling, and insights into its historical behaviour are vital for predicting its future influence on atmospheric CO₂
• Improved modelling of past climate events strengthens projections of future climate change impacts

⏭️ What's next: These findings provide essential benchmarks for enhancing climate models, aiding in the development of strategies to mitigate future CO₂ emissions
• Understanding the interplay of oceanic processes will help predict long-term climate outcomes

💬 One quote: “Our results provide testing targets for climate models to reproduce,” said Yuhao Dai, Research Fellow in Earth Sciences at the Australian National University

📈 One stat: The seabed site studied lies 3,300 metres below the ocean surface south of Tasmania

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