近日，英国南安普敦大学Thomas M. Gernon团队揭示了大陆分裂驱动的隆升促进了南极东部冰盖的形成。2026年7月2日出版的《科学》杂志发表了这项成果。

为什么南极洲在大约3400万年前（Ma）开始冰川化，这一问题至今仍有争议，因为相对温暖的气候和海水温度似乎与冰盖的形成不相符。尽管CO₂的显著下降被认为是主要原因，但证据表明其他因素也很重要。

研究组分析了区域地形抬升——其根源在于侏罗纪大陆裂解和地幔-地表反馈——是否促成了东南极冰盖（EAIS）的成核。通过将地球动力学-地形模型与冰盖和能量平衡模型相结合，研究组表明东南极的逐步高原隆升，包括始新世甘布尔采夫山脉的抬升，在约45 Ma时将地表景观推高至冰盖成核的阈值之上。抬升使得EAIS在高于预期的温暖气候下得以生长，产生了早期冰川化的半球不对称性，并调和了渐新世极地温暖与现代冰室世界开端之间的矛盾。

附：英文原文

Title: Continental breakup–driven uplift instigated East Antarctic Ice Sheet formation

Author: Thomas M. Gernon, Thea K. Hincks, Philip Goodwin, Guy J. G. Paxman, Sascha Brune, Eelco J. Rohling, Derek Keir, Jean Braun

Issue&Volume: 2026-07-02

Abstract: Why Antarctica became glaciated ～34 million years ago (Ma) remains debated, as relatively warm climates and sea temperatures appear inconsistent with ice sheet formation. Although a critical decline in CO₂ is considered primarily responsible, evidence suggests that other factors were important, too. We investigated whether regional topographic uplift, rooted in Jurassic continental breakup and mantle-surface feedbacks, enabled nucleation of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS). By integrating geodynamic-topographic models with ice sheet and energy balance models, we show that progressive plateau growth in East Antarctica, including Eocene uplift of the Gamburtsev Mountains, pushed landscapes above the threshold for ice sheet nucleation by ～45 Ma. Uplift enabled EAIS growth under warmer-than-expected climates, producing hemispheric asymmetry in early glaciation and reconciling Oligocene polar warmth with the onset of the modern icehouse world.

DOI: adz6758

Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adz6758