Sunday, December 4, 2011

Drop in Carbon Dioxide Levels Led to Polar Ice Sheet



According to a recent study by scientists at Yale and Purdue, a drop in carbon dioxide appears to be the reason why an ice sheet is forming in the Antarctic. The role of the greenhouse gas supports carbon dioxide's importance in past, present, and future climate change. Researchers have found a threshold for low level of carbon dioxide below which an ice sheet forms in the South Pole. However, it remains a mystery of how much the greenhouse gas has to increase to melt the ice sheet. A professor at Purdue said there was about a 40 percent decrease in carbon dioxide before and during the formation of a thick ice sheet over the Antarctic about 34 million years ago. The evidence shows that carbon dioxide controls global climate. If the amount of carbon dioxide is increased or decreased, there could be dramatic changes. Another professor from Yale says that polar ice sheets and sea ice control a large amount of modern climate. It influences the global circulation of air masses, patterns of precipitation, and wind strengths. The recognition of the important role of carbon dixide change is an important finding.

1 comment:

  1. That interesting that carbon dioxide affects so much. It also interesting that polar ice sheets and sea level controls climate.

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