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Ancient Oceans: Harsh Conditions During Snowball Earth Revealed

1/29/2026

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Summary

Story summary

About 700 million years ago during Snowball Earth, ocean temperatures were around 5°F (–15°C), about 22°F (12°C) colder than today’s lowest levels.
The ocean also had salinity over four times higher, which prevented the oceans from freezing completely.
The findings come from a study published in Nature Communications.
These conditions imply that microbes, phytoplankton, algae, and sponges faced harsher environments than previously believed.

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Story summary

About 700 million years ago during Snowball Earth, ocean temperatures were around 5°F (–15°C), about 22°F (12°C) colder than today’s lowest levels.
The ocean also had salinity over four times higher, which prevented the oceans from freezing completely.
The findings come from a study published in Nature Communications.
These conditions imply that microbes, phytoplankton, algae, and sponges faced harsher environments than previously believed.