Orbital forcing imprints discernible signatures in sedimentary strata that are instrumental for elucidating climatic change mechanisms and the establishment of high-resolution astronomical time scales (ATS). Utilizing a stochastic sedimentation model, we show that the 405-kyr eccentricity cycle is often the most reliably preserved and sometimes even the sole trustworthy metronome in devising ATS. We also note that the observed frequency peak shift may bias results towards a larger orbital period (and a larger lunar semi-major axis).
We review the mechanism of sea level change caused by astronomically driven continental groundwater activities and propose a new Sponge Continent hypothesis: astronomical forcing drives climate change, causing the filling and discharge of continental aquifers (by analogy, a sponge), which may in turn impact large-scale changes in global sea levels and inland lake levels during the greenhouse period.
A. Albouy, A. Chenciner, J. Laskar
