Carbon dioxide has played a leading role in determining global climate patterns, says Luther assistant professor of environmental studies

Luther College assistant professor of environmental studies Laura Peterson is the co-author of a research paper published in the June 18th issue of the journal "Science" that suggests carbon dioxide has played a leading role in determining global climate patterns.

The paper explains the findings of a research project led by Brown University in which Peterson participated.  The research team's discoveries that suggest that fluctuating carbon dioxide levels explain why temperatures in tropical oceans and arctic waters have changed together for the past 2.7 million years.

The research team analyzed cores taken from the seabed at four locations in tropical oceans: the Arabian Sea, the South China Sea, the eastern Pacific Ocean and the equatorial Atlantic Ocean.  Analysis of the cores showed that climate patterns in the tropics have mirrored Ice Age cycles for the last 2.7 million years.  That led the researchers to propose that carbon dioxide has played a leading role in determining global climate patterns.