Zircon U-Pb data acquired at the LGC, and statistical methods developed
by us, demonstrated that the extent of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet
(WAIS) was larger than previously thought during colder periods in the
Miocene. This means it contributed a lot more to sea-level rise events
millions of years ago than previously thought. This insight will help researchers
more accurately predict the future of the WAIS as the world warms.
The work was carried out by an international team of geoscientists led by Imperial College Prof. Tina van de Flierdt and including LGC scientists Prof. Andy Carter and Prof. Pieter Vermeesch.
Marschalek, J. W., Zurli, L., Talarico, F., van de Flierdt, T.,
Vermeesch, P., Carter, A., ... & McKay, R. M. (2021). A large West Antarctic Ice Sheet explains early Neogene sea-level amplitude. Nature, 600(7889), 450-455.
