Seafloor cores show tight bond between dust and past climates

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Dust from China moves across Korea and Japan to the Pacific Ocean April 2002. Credit: Jacques Decloitres MODIS Land Rapid Response Team NASAGSFC
Dust from China moves across Korea and Japan to the Pacific Ocean, April 2002. Credit: Jacques Decloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

Each year, long-distance winds drop up to 900 million tons of dust from deserts and other parts of the land into the oceans. Scientists suspect this phenomenon connects to global climate—but exactly how, remains a question. Now a big piece of the puzzle has fallen into place, with a study showing that the amount of dust entering the equatorial Pacific peaks sharply during repeated ice ages, then declines when climate warms.


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