Astronomical Forcing effects on the climate during the extreme Greenhouse Devonian period: Integration of time series analyses from stratigraphic sections worldwide with climate modeling

The position of the Earth with regard to the sun varies through time in a cyclic way. These Milankovic cycles or orbital cycles, cause changes in the distribution of solar heat on Earth and drive climate changes. For example, the Quaternary glacial and interglacial variation is known to be orbitally paced. During my master thesis, I suggested that Milankovic cycles also significantly influence precipitation patterns during the Devonian (370 Ma), a world with 5 to 10 times more CO2 and (probably) without large ice caps. Until now, little is known about the role of Milankovic cycles on climate changes in this extreme greenhouse Devonian world, completely different from today's. The proposed hypothesis of orbital forcing of precipitation patterns in the Devonian will be tested by interpreting a broad geographical range of climate records and by developing a Devonian climate model. The climate record will confirm (or not) the results of my MS-thesis about an orbital influence on the strenght of a "Monsoon-equivalent" precipitation pattern and give insights in the global extent of orbital forcing of climate changes. The modeling will determine the processes that translate orbital forced changes in insolation pattern into significant climate changes.