Study hints at age of Antarctic polar ice cap

64519 London: According to a recent study, the Antarctic continental ice cap came into existence some 33.6 million years ago.
The postulate was made following an expedition led by the Andalusian Institute of Earth Sciences (IACT) – a Spanish National Research Council-University of Granada joint centre. 

Before the ice covered Antarctica, Earth was a warm place with a tropical climate. In this region, plankton diversity was high until glaciation reduced the populations leaving only those capable of surviving in the new climate. 

The Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme international expedition obtained this information from the paleoclimatic history preserved in sediment strata in the Antarctic depths. 

«The fossil record of dinoflagellate cyst communities reflects the substantial reduction and specialisation of these species that took place when the ice cap became established and, with it, marked seasonal ice-pack formation and melting began,» said Carlota Escutia, IACT researcher who led the expedition. 

The study was published in the journal, Science.
Descargar