Article (Scientific journals)
Precession-induced millennial climate cycles in greenhouse Cretaceous.
Zhang, Zhifeng; Huang, Yongjian; Wang, Tiantian et al.
2025 • In Nature Communications, 16 (1), p. 10696
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Keywords :
Chemistry (all); Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (all); Multidisciplinary; Physics and Astronomy (all)
Abstract :
[en] Millennial-scale climate cycles persist throughout greenhouse climates, yet the mechanisms remain unclear. Here, using proxy reconstructions, we present centennial-resolution geological records from early Campanian greenhouse deposits in both mid-latitude East Asia and low-latitude Southern Atlantic. These records document pronounced millennial ( ~ 1-6 kyr) wet-dry climate cycles. The amplitude modulation relationship between the most prominent ~4-5-kyr cycles (corresponding to the ¼ precession cycle) and eccentricity aligns perfectly with the theoretically calculated equatorial insolation cycles, demonstrating the climate effect of this predicted insolation forcing on global climate. Other millennial cycles primarily emerge from these ~4-5-kyr cycles via nonlinear amplitude modulation and combination tones. Proxy reconstructions and theoretical calculation thus converge to demonstrate that during this warm greenhouse period, precession can directly and indirectly stimulate millennial climate cycles. The deterministic link between astronomical parameters and millennial climate cycles implies that high-frequency climate oscillations may be predictable in future greenhouse-like climates, particularly under anthropogenic warming.
Disciplines :
Earth sciences & physical geography
Author, co-author :
Zhang, Zhifeng;  State Key Laboratory of Geomicrobiology and Environmental Changes, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China ; School of Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China
Huang, Yongjian ;  State Key Laboratory of Geomicrobiology and Environmental Changes, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China. huangyj@cugb.edu.cn ; School of Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China. huangyj@cugb.edu.cn
Wang, Tiantian ;  State Key Laboratory of Geomicrobiology and Environmental Changes, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China. tianwang@cugb.edu.cn ; Institute of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China. tianwang@cugb.edu.cn
Yin, Qiuzhen ;  Earth and Climate Research Center, Earth and Life Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, 1348, Belgium
Da Silva, Anne-Christine  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de géologie
Lee, Eun Young ;  Department of Geology, University of Vienna, Vienna, 1090, Austria
Yang, Hanfei;  School of Geography and Remote Sensing, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
Ma, Chao ;  State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Institute of Sedimentary Geology, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, China ; Key Laboratory of Deep-time Geography and Environment Reconstruction and Applications of Ministry of Natural Resources, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, China
Cheng, Hai ;  Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China
Berger, André;  Earth and Climate Research Center, Earth and Life Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, 1348, Belgium
Wang, Chengshan ;  State Key Laboratory of Geomicrobiology and Environmental Changes, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China ; School of Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China
Language :
English
Title :
Precession-induced millennial climate cycles in greenhouse Cretaceous.
Publication date :
27 November 2025
Journal title :
Nature Communications
eISSN :
2041-1723
Publisher :
Nature Research, England
Volume :
16
Issue :
1
Pages :
10696
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Funding text :
This work was funded by the Deep Earth Probe and Mineral Resources Exploration - National Science and Technology Major Project of China (No. 2024ZD1001105), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 42272134 to Y.H., 42488201 to C.W., 42502020 to Z.Z.,\u00A042172137 to C.M.), National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2023YFF0804000 to C.M.),\u00A0\u201CDeep-time Digital Earth\u201D Science and Technology Leading Talents Team Funds for the Central Universities for the Frontiers Science Center for Deep-time Digital Earth, China University of Geosciences (Beijing) (Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities) (No. 2652023001 to C.W.), and the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program of CPSF (No. GZC20241605 to Z.Z.). Q.Y. is a Senior Research Associate of the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique-FNRS (F.R.S.-FNRS) and acknowledges the support of the F.R.S.-FNRS grant n\u00B0 T.0246.23. Z.Z. gratefully acknowledges the fellowship from the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2025M770431).\u00A0A.-C.D.S. thanks the FNRS support WarmAnoxia (grant T.0037.22).This work was funded by the Deep Earth Probe and Mineral Resources Exploration - National Science and Technology Major Project of China (No. 2024ZD1001105), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 42272134 to Y.H., 42488201 to C.W., 42502020 to Z.Z., 42172137 to C.M.), National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2023YFF0804000 to C.M.), \u201CDeep-time Digital Earth\u201D Science and Technology Leading Talents Team Funds for the Central Universities for the Frontiers Science Center for Deep-time Digital Earth, China University of Geosciences (Beijing) (Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities) (No. 2652023001 to C.W.), and the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program of CPSF (No. GZC20241605 to Z.Z.). Q.Y. is a Senior Research Associate of the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique-FNRS (F.R.S.-FNRS) and acknowledges the support of the F.R.S.-FNRS grant n\u00B0 T.0246.23. Z.Z. gratefully acknowledges the fellowship from the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2025M770431). A.-C.D.S. thanks the FNRS support WarmAnoxia (grant T.0037.22).
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