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Earths Orbital Precession

All articles tagged with #earths orbital precession

science2 years ago•2 min saved

Unveiling the Green Sahara: Earth's Orbit and the Transformation of the Desert

A new study using an improved climate model has reconstructed the history of the Sahara desert over the past 800,000 years, revealing the periodic transformations of the region. The research focused on the African humid periods, when the Sahara was wetter and greener, and found that these periods were driven by Earth's orbital precession. The study also suggests that during ice ages, the effects of the orbital wobbles were canceled out, keeping the Sahara cooler and restricting the African monsoons. Understanding the greening periods of the Sahara can provide insights into human migration and the evolution of our species in Africa.

via ScienceAlert|

#african-humid-periods #climate-modeling #earths-orbital-precession

earth-and-environment2 years ago•3 min saved

"Unveiling the Enigmatic Greening of the Sahara Desert: New Research Sheds Light"

New research published in Nature Communications explains why and when the Sahara Desert experienced periodic green phases. Climate scientists used a climate model to simulate the North African Humid Periods and found that changes in Earth's orbital precession, which influenced the strength of the West African Monsoon system, were responsible for these humid events. The study also revealed that the humid periods did not occur during ice ages when large glacial ice sheets covered high latitudes, suppressing the expansion of the African monsoon system. Understanding these mechanisms provides insights into the dispersal of species, including early humans, out of Africa during different climatic periods.

via Phys.org|

#climate-modeling #earth-and-environment #earths-orbital-precession