Ice retreat in Wilkes Basin of East Antarctica during a warm interglacial
T. Blackburn, G.H. Edwards, S. Tulaczyk, M. Scudder, G. Piccione, B. Hallet, N. McLean, J.C. Zachos, B. Cheney, & J.T. Babbe
Nature, 2020 PDF Web
Press coverage in National Geographic
U-series isotopics of subglacial precipitates from beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) record an open-system event ca. 400,000 years ago in the subglacial Wilkes Basin. Our data and models support ice retreat and seawater incursion during this time, suggesting that the Pleistocene EAIS was not as stable as previously assumed. These findings bear important implications for future EAIS stability in a warming climate.