Science Advances · 9 October 2026 · From issue 49
Ocean circulation changes rather than global warming drove temperature trends across the Miocene Climatic Optimum
Ancient ocean warming signal came from shifting currents, not a global carbon dioxide spike.
Evi Wubben, Xiaoqing Liu et al.
About 17 million years ago, deep sea records seemed to show a sudden burst of global warming. New ocean temperature data show this was not a real worldwide warming. Some places got warmer and others got cooler at the same time. Computer models suggest shifting ocean currents, not rising carbon dioxide, caused this uneven pattern.
How much warmer than today the Early-to-Middle Miocene climate was overall, not just during the studied event.
Ancient climate data and models only, not a modern warming forecast.
Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 14 October 2026. Retraction record: none. DOI resolves at doi.org. Metadata record found (Science Advances). Read the source
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