Antarctic Ice Sheet variability across the Eocene-Oligocene boundary climate transition

• Published in: Science
• Main Authors: Galeotti, Simone, DeConto, Robert, Naish, Timothy, Stocchi, Paolo, Florindo, Fabio, Pagani, Mark, Barrett, Peter, Bohaty, Steven M., Lanci, Luca, Pollard, David, Sandroni, Sonia, Talarico, Franco M., Zachos, James C.
• Other Authors: Programma Nazionale di Ricerche in Antartide, NSF, New Zealand Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2016
• Subjects: Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica; Ice Sheet
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aab0669; https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.aab0669

Sensitive ice sheets Why did the Antarctic Ice Sheet begin to grow 34 million years ago, and what does that have to do with us? Galeotti et al. studied a marine sediment core recovered from just off the coast of Antarctica (see the Perspective by Lear and Lunt). The ice sheet did not begin to grow until atmospheric CO 2 concentrations had dropped to below around 600 parts per million. Indeed, the ice sheet was unstable when CO 2 was higher. As modern atmospheric CO 2 concentrations continue their rise, a shift back to an unstable Antarctic Ice Sheet could increase harmful rises in sea level. Science , this issue p. 76 see also p. 34