Mars may be over 225 million kilometres from Earth, but the red planet is impacting our oceans by causing "giant whirlpools" in the deep sea, according to new research.
Scientists analysed sediment drilled from hundreds of deep-sea sites over the past 50 years in order to better understand the strength of deep sea currents.
The study, published on Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications, found that the sediment deposits revealed a weakening and strengthening of deep-sea currents over 2.4 million-year climate cycles.
Co-author Adriana Dutkiewicz, a sedimentologist at the University of Sydney said that there was only one way to explain these cycles: "They are linked to cycles in the interactions of Mars and Earth orbiting the Sun."
The two planets interact with each other through a phenomenon known as resonance - when two orbiting bodies apply a gravitational push and pull on each other. This can change the shape of their orbits, affecting their distance from the sun and how close to circular they are.
This interaction with Mars can translate to increased solar energy for the Earth, causing a warmer climate that correlates with more vigorous ocean currents.
However, co-author Dietmar Müller said that these cycles were not linked to the rapid heating the world is experiencing today as humans continue to burn planet-heating fossil fuels.
The authors described these currents as "giant whirlpools" that can erode the seafloor and cause large accumulations of sediment.
Deep-sea sediments build in a continuous layer during calm conditions, but strong ocean currents disrupt this, leaving a "break" in the sediment core that scientists are able to map.
Sediment cores are valuable in understanding long-term circulation changes in a warming climate, Müller told CNN.
If human-caused warming continues on its current trajectory, Müller said that the effect would "dwarf all other processes for a long time to come. But the geological record still provides us with valuable insights about how the oceans operate in a warmer world."
While it is still unclear how processes affecting deep-sea currents and marine life will play out in the future, the study's co-authors hope that the research could help to build better models of future climate outcomes.
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