Scientists have expressed concern after one of the world's most unusual natural sites has uncovered a "concerning secret".
The Great Blue Hole off the coast of Belize is one of the world's most peculiar natural features, measuring 300 metres across and approximately 125 metres deep.
This massive marine sinkhole formed at the end of the last Ice Age when rising seawater flooded a series of enormous caverns. Located about 60 miles from Belize City, it forms part of the Belize Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
However, research has suggested that the hole shows there could be "an unprecedented increase in tropical cyclone frequency, attributable to the Industrial Age warming" in the 21st century.
The caves are believed to have formed around 153,000 years ago and were completely submerged about 15,000 years ago. Giant stalactites hanging from the roof reveal its history as a once-dry cave system.
In 2022, scientists from Goethe University in Frankfurt transported a drilling platform to the Great Blue Hole and extracted a 98ft (30m) sediment core from its depths.
This core consists of hundreds of layers of coarse particles carried over from the nearby atoll reef by storm surges and waves. The layered sediment provides an unprecedented archive of storms spanning the last 5,700 years.
Researchers identified a total of 574 storm events during this period. The sediment layers alternate in colour between grey-green and light green, forming distinct annual rings similar to those found in trees.
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Storm deposits in the core stand out from fair-weather sediments in grain size, composition and colour, ranging from beige to white.
Dr Dominik Schmitt, lead author of the study, explained: "Due to the unique environmental conditions, including oxygen-free bottom water and several stratified water layers, fine marine sediments could settle largely undisturbed in the Great Blue Hole."
The research team discovered that over the past six millennia, between four and 16 tropical storms and hurricanes passed over the Great Blue Hole per 100 years.
However, the frequency and intensity of storms have increased steadily, growing significantly over the past two decades. The nine storm layers from just the past 20 years indicate a troubling trend for the region.
"Our results suggest that some 45 tropical storms and hurricanes could pass over this region in our century alone," warned Professor Eberhard Gischler, who worked on the study.
"This would far exceed the natural variability of the past millennia."
Researchers have linked this dramatic increase to climate change and industrial warming. Rising ocean temperatures and stronger global La Niña events create perfect conditions for frequent storm formation and rapid intensification.
Natural climate fluctuations alone cannot account for this concerning uptick in extreme weather events. The research team concluded: "Predictions of tropical cyclone frequencies are hampered by insufficient knowledge of their natural variability in the past."
Their study provides the "longest available, continuous, and annually resolved tropical cyclone frequency record" through the Great Blue Hole's sediment core.
This unique underwater cave has revealed a concerning secret about our planet's future.
The Great Blue Hole's ancient layers have become an alarming climate change indicator, showing how human activity is dramatically altering weather patterns.
Find Out More...
The Great Blue Hole off the coast of Belize is one of the world's most peculiar natural features, measuring 300 metres across and approximately 125 metres deep.
This massive marine sinkhole formed at the end of the last Ice Age when rising seawater flooded a series of enormous caverns. Located about 60 miles from Belize City, it forms part of the Belize Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
However, research has suggested that the hole shows there could be "an unprecedented increase in tropical cyclone frequency, attributable to the Industrial Age warming" in the 21st century.
The caves are believed to have formed around 153,000 years ago and were completely submerged about 15,000 years ago. Giant stalactites hanging from the roof reveal its history as a once-dry cave system.
In 2022, scientists from Goethe University in Frankfurt transported a drilling platform to the Great Blue Hole and extracted a 98ft (30m) sediment core from its depths.
This core consists of hundreds of layers of coarse particles carried over from the nearby atoll reef by storm surges and waves. The layered sediment provides an unprecedented archive of storms spanning the last 5,700 years.
Researchers identified a total of 574 storm events during this period. The sediment layers alternate in colour between grey-green and light green, forming distinct annual rings similar to those found in trees.
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Storm deposits in the core stand out from fair-weather sediments in grain size, composition and colour, ranging from beige to white.
Dr Dominik Schmitt, lead author of the study, explained: "Due to the unique environmental conditions, including oxygen-free bottom water and several stratified water layers, fine marine sediments could settle largely undisturbed in the Great Blue Hole."
The research team discovered that over the past six millennia, between four and 16 tropical storms and hurricanes passed over the Great Blue Hole per 100 years.
However, the frequency and intensity of storms have increased steadily, growing significantly over the past two decades. The nine storm layers from just the past 20 years indicate a troubling trend for the region.
"Our results suggest that some 45 tropical storms and hurricanes could pass over this region in our century alone," warned Professor Eberhard Gischler, who worked on the study.
"This would far exceed the natural variability of the past millennia."
Researchers have linked this dramatic increase to climate change and industrial warming. Rising ocean temperatures and stronger global La Niña events create perfect conditions for frequent storm formation and rapid intensification.
Natural climate fluctuations alone cannot account for this concerning uptick in extreme weather events. The research team concluded: "Predictions of tropical cyclone frequencies are hampered by insufficient knowledge of their natural variability in the past."
Their study provides the "longest available, continuous, and annually resolved tropical cyclone frequency record" through the Great Blue Hole's sediment core.
This unique underwater cave has revealed a concerning secret about our planet's future.
The Great Blue Hole's ancient layers have become an alarming climate change indicator, showing how human activity is dramatically altering weather patterns.
Find Out More...