Understanding how our planet's climate will modify over the next few decades is currently one of the most researched topics in the world, and for good reason. Figuring out how and where global warming will hit hardest may give us enough time to plan defenses, which would prevent billions of people from dying of starvation on account of floods, droughts and intense weather events. But, in their strife to create ever-complex computer models of the situation, experts may have neglected a natural and extensive source of information, namely Arctic river deltas, such as those of the Colville and Mackenzie rivers.

Publishing in the May 19th edition of the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), researchers at the University of Texas in Austin and the Texas A&M University argue that the study of geological deposits accumulated in these places over millions of years could give experts a better insight into our planet's history. At the same time, better knowledge of the past could yield even better predictions for the future, to be added alongside the results of satellite observations and computer simulation results.

Among the most notable things that can be inferred from studying the mud, the researchers noted the temperature and precipitation levels of continents adjacent to the deltas and the rivers, past sea levels, productivity and storminess on the ocean margin, as well as the human factors that may, or may not have affected the natural sedimentation process. In addition to all these potential pieces of information, the investigations could also reveal if levees or dams were constructed on either of the rivers, or how the glaciers on nearby mountaintops evolved over the years.

“It's a glaring gap in our understanding of the global carbon cycle. It's a potential gotcha in the global climate models. Each river system is different, but we have to get a handle on the net effects,” University of Texas in Austin Jackson School of Geosciences senior research scientist Mead Allison explained. The expert has also been a co-author of the new PNAS paper. One of the main reasons why these deltas have remained unexplored thus far is the fact that expeditions in the area are very demanding, and also very expensive. But the risk is well worth it, the scientists have now concluded.