A study by Cardiff University and A&M University entitled Atmospheric carbon dioxide through the Eocene-Oligocene climate transition (available to subscribers of Nature International Weekly Journal of Science online), has confirmed a direct link between the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere and formation or melting of Antarctic ice sheets. According to the study, which involved collecting microfossils from samples of rocks in an East African village, the formation of the Antarctic ice-cap was formed as a result of gradual diminishment of the natural greenhouse effect.

As levels of atmospheric CO2 declined during the Eocene-Oligocene climate transitions, the ice sheet grew until a tipping point of 760 parts per million (ppm) of CO2 was reached. At this point, our world is facing 400 ppm of atmospheric CO2, which is significantly higher than recommended by many scientists.

Professor Paul Pearson of Cardiff University’s School of Earth and Ocean Sciences is quoted by Physorg.com as saying the following:

The period, known to geologists as the Eocene – Oligocene transition, culminated in the rapid development of a continental-scale ice sheet on Antarctica, which has been there ever since.

We therefore set out to establish whether there was a substantial decline in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels as the Antarctic ice sheet began to grow.

Another co-author of the study, Dr. Bridget Wade from Texas A&M University’s Department of Geology and Geophysics calls this the “biggest climate switch since the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.” She goes on to say:

Our study is the first to provide a direct link between the establishment of an ice sheet on Antarctica and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and therefore confirms the relationship between carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and global climate.

A significant finding, indeed. And a study our fellow power-savers may want to share with the climate deniers in their lives.