Overview

• Researchers extracted four deep-sea cores from Baffin Bay and used single-particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and electron microscopy to probe layers deposited at the start of the Younger Dryas.
• Analysis revealed iron-nickel metallic dust particles, iron-silica-rich microspherules and a platinum anomaly consistent with extraterrestrial material.
• Radiocarbon dating confirms the anomalous layer corresponds to a rapid 10 °C Northern Hemisphere cooling that occurred within a year and persisted for roughly 1,200 years.
• Authors stress that while the geochemical proxies support a cometary airburst or impact scenario they do not establish causal links to climate change.
• The research team is preparing to sample and analyze additional marine cores from other ocean basins to determine whether these impact signatures are globally distributed.