Editing Mediterranean Sea (section)

==Paleoclimate==
Because of its latitude and its landlocked position, the Mediterranean is especially sensitive to astronomically induced climatic variations, which are well documented in its sedimentary record. Since the Mediterranean is subject to the deposition of [[eolian dust]] from the [[Sahara]] during dry periods, whereas riverine [[detritus (geology)|detrital]] input prevails during wet ones, the Mediterranean marine [[sapropel]]-bearing sequences provide high-resolution climatic information. These data have been employed in reconstructing astronomically calibrated time scales for the last 9 Ma of the Earth's history, helping to constrain the time of past [[geomagnetic reversal]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |author=F.J. Hilgen |title=Astronomical calibration of Gauss to Matuyama sapropels in the Mediterranean and implication for the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale |journal=Earth and Planetary Science Letters |volume=104 |year=1991 |issue=2–4 |pages=226–244 |doi=10.1016/0012-821X(91)90206-W |bibcode=1991E&PSL.104..226H |hdl=1874/19041 |url=http://igitur-archive.library.uu.nl/geo/2007-0119-200857/hilgen_91_astronomical.pdf |access-date=4 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724171928/http://igitur-archive.library.uu.nl/geo/2007-0119-200857/hilgen_91_astronomical.pdf |archive-date=24 July 2011}}</ref> Furthermore, the exceptional accuracy of these paleoclimatic records has improved our knowledge of the Earth's orbital variations in the past.