Resilient Antarctic monsoonal climate prevented ice growth during the Eocene

• DOI: 10.5194/cp-20-77-2024
• Publication Date: 2024-01-10T11:39:36Z
• Authors: Michiel Baatsen; Peter Bijl; Anna von der Heydt; Appy Sluijs; Henk Dijkstra
• Keywords: Antarctic ice sheet; Ice core; Global cooling; Paleoclimatology; Proxy (statistics)

Abstract. Understanding the extreme greenhouse of Eocene (56–34 Ma) is key to anticipating potential future conditions. While providing an end member towards a distant high-emission scenario, climate also challenges different tools at hand reconstruct such Besides remaining uncertainty regarding conditions under which large-scale glaciation Antarctica took place, there poor understanding how most continent remained ice free throughout across wide range global temperatures. Seemingly contradictory indications and thriving vegetation complicate efforts explain Antarctic climate. We use model simulations show that seasonality mostly limited growth, mainly through high summer Without sheets, much had monsoonal Perennially mild wet along coastlines are consistent with reconstructions, while over continental interior promoted intense weathering shown in proxy records. The results can thus coexistence warm some regions, small caps forming near coast. resilience regimes seen these agrees longevity during but our view glacial inception.