Recent studies have illuminated the complex interplay between Antarctica’s lithosphere, cryosphere, atmosphere, and climate over long timescales. Research on the Transantarctic Mountains and Wilkes Subglacial Basin reinforces linkages between erosion, carbon dioxide drawdown, and global climate regulation (Guy et al., 2019). Meanwhile, data on atmosphere-ocean carbon fluxes highlight the Antarctic region’s role as a carbon sink (Dachs et al., 2005).
Lurcock and Florindo (2017) synthesized data on Antarctica’s climate history and its relationship to global climate changes. Their analysis shows how shifts in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels over millions of years correspond with fluctuations in the extent of Antarctic ice sheets. Periods of falling CO2 often align with the expansion of continental glaciation. This pattern reflects a negative feedback loop where chemical weathering and burial of CO2 is enhanced during cold, icy periods. The exposure of fresh mineral surfaces speeds up chemical reactions that remove CO2 from the air. Meanwhile, erosion and transport of pulverized rocks lead to offshore carbon burial in sediments (Guy et al., 2019). The sequestration of carbon in ocean sediments helps lower atmospheric CO2 over time.
Guy et al. (2019) focused on linkages between erosion and CO2 drawdown in the Transantarctic Mountains bordering the Wilkes Subglacial Basin. Using models and geophysical data, they found that glacial erosion over millions of years has caused significant flexure and deformation of the lithosphere. This has increased physical weathering processes. They estimated that erosion patterns in the Transantarctic Mountains have corresponded with the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere. This represents a negative feedback, where continent-scale glaciation and erosion facilitate chemical and physical CO2 drawdown.
Research has also examined the contemporary carbon cycle near Antarctica. Dachs et al. (2005) measured high rates of atmosphere-ocean exchange of organic carbon in the Southern Ocean. Their data indicates that the region is a significant carbon sink, drawing down anthropogenic CO2. This is enabled both by chemical reactions and the biological carbon pump.
Antarctic marine ecosystems support phytoplankton growth, part of which sinks and is buried in sediments, sequestering carbon. Dachs et al. (2005) estimated that the ocean uptake of organic carbon just in the studied area offsets 12-14% of the carbon emitted from local human activities.
I am fascinated by the complex linkages and feedback loops between Earth’s lithosphere, atmosphere, cryosphere, and climate over different timescales. The studies on Antarctica highlight how processes occurring deep in the solid Earth, like mountain formation and erosion, ultimately influence the composition of the air we breathe. I am intrigued by the evidence showing how Antarctica has regulated global climate and carbon dioxide levels through negative feedback cycles across millions of years.
These recent studies provide new evidence and insights that further our fundamental understanding of the Antarctic’s role in global climate regulation over geologic timescales. The research reveals the magnitude and mechanisms by which tectonic processes, erosion patterns, carbon sequestration, and climate changes are interconnected. Quantifying the impacts of Antarctic glaciation and erosion on atmospheric CO2 represents a significant discovery, as this carbon sink was previously underestimated in models of Earth’s carbon cycle (Guy et al., 2019). Additionally, the contemporary estimates of carbon burial in the Southern Ocean provide updated regional and global carbon budget constraints. Together, these advances demonstrate how Antarctica has maintained habitable equilibrium conditions on Earth across millions of years through negative feedback loops that are now being disrupted by anthropogenic activity. The findings underscore the need to better incorporate Antarctica’s interconnected systems into future climate change scenario predictions.
References
Dachs, J., Calleja, M. L., Duarte, C. M., del Vento, S., Turpin, B., Polidori, A., Herndl, G. J., & Agustí, S. (2005). High atmosphere-ocean exchange of organic carbon in the NE subtropical Atlantic. Geophysical Research Letters, 32(21). https://doi.org/10.1029/2005gl023799
Guy, S., Ferraccioli, F., Bentley, M. J., Ross, N., Watts, A., Leitchenkov, G., Armadillo, E., & Young, D. (2019). The Role of Lithospheric Flexure in the Landscape Evolution of the Wilkes Subglacial Basin and Transantarctic Mountains, East Antarctica. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 124(3), 812-829. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018jf004705
Lurcock, P., & Florindo, F. (2017). Antarctic Climate History and Global Climate Changes. In G. Siegert, S. Jamieson, & D. White (Eds.), Exploration of Subsurface Antarctica: Uncovering Past Changes and Modern Processes (pp. 121-133). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190699420.013.18
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