Scientists explain why Antarctica froze before the Arctic

An international team of scientists has unraveled a key mystery in Earth's climate history: the reason Antarctica developed an ice sheet millions of years before the Arctic, despite a significantly warmer global climate at the time.

The research indicates the cause was not atmospheric but geological. The separation of continents, specifically Antarctica and Africa, initiated a gradual tectonic uplift of the East Antarctic landmass over 100 million years. This process, driven by "mantle plumes", slow-moving currents of hot rock beneath continents, steadily raised the terrain.

By 45 million years ago, much of East Antarctica exceeded 2 kilometers in altitude. This elevation was crucial, allowing snow and ice to accumulate year-round and eventually form a permanent ice sheet by 34 million years ago. This occurred even as surrounding oceans remained warm and global temperatures were higher than today.

The East Antarctic Ice Sheet is now the largest on Earth, holding enough frozen water to raise global sea levels by approximately 52 meters if it were to melt entirely.

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The surface of Antarctica gradually rose to the point where ice could settle permanently, even while the surrounding polar oceans, as well as global temperatures, remained surprisingly warm.