Why Antarctica glaciated 30 million years before the Arctic: new study explains the role of mantle uplift and elevation

A new study published in Science explains why Antarctica became covered in ice millions of years before the Arctic. Researchers found that slow mantle waves from tectonic plate breakup lifted East Antarctica's terrain over 100 million years, creating the high elevation needed for permanent ice. By 34 million years ago, the Gamburtsev Mountains had risen enough to trigger glaciation, even while global CO2 levels were still relatively high. The Arctic lacked similar uplift, which delayed its ice sheets by 20 to 30 million years. The study used landscape evolution and ice sheet models to show that elevation, not just atmospheric CO2, was the decisive factor. The East Antarctic Ice Sheet now holds enough water to raise sea levels by 52 meters. Understanding how it formed helps scientists assess its stability under future warming. The research also suggests that deep Earth processes can precondition continents for glaciation, a factor often overlooked in climate models.