Antarctic moisture research will model ice sheet formation in ancient warm periods
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 31, 2025

Researchers from Binghamton University will investigate how increased moisture transport during ancient warm climates contributed to the growth of Antarctic ice sheets. This work, funded by the National Science Foundation's P4Climate award, aims to clarify how future sea level trends might be affected by similar processes.

The study targets the Miocene Climatic Optimum, which occurred approximately 17 to 14.7 million years ago, when atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations surpassed 500 parts per million and global temperatures rose 7 - 8 C above pre-industrial levels. The period witnessed substantial changes in Antarctic ice sheet size and provides a critical analog for future warming scenarios.

Principal researchers Adriane R. Lam and Imogen M. Browne, along with Ruthie Halberstadt from the University of Texas at Austin and Paul Acosta from George Mason University, will employ advanced climate and ice sheet models. These will simulate the physical and geochemical dynamics of ice formation linked to increased snowfall from moisture transport, and will be validated against the chemical composition of calcareous microfossils (foraminifera) found in marine sediment cores.

Their approach isolates influences of local ocean warming, variations in sea ice cover, vegetation shifts, and changes in Earth's tilt and orbit - factors that together affect moisture movement toward Antarctica. Model simulations will assess how these variables influenced major glaciation events following the Miocene Climate Optimum, with direct insights from sediment cores obtained from Ross Sea regions.

Browne's career experience includes International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 374, where interdisciplinary teams drilled for sediment core data key to understanding ancient ice sheet response. The ongoing project will generate ice volume data and simulation output to contribute to global synthesis efforts, clarifying the relationship between Antarctic ice dynamics and long-term sea level trends.

Lam emphasized, "A grant like ours is special and important not just because of the science it will produce, but because it brings a group of researchers who have different skillsets together to work on a problem that has huge implications for society."

Related Links
Binghamton University
Beyond the Ice Age