国际研究团队发现，地球深处的地幔波在超过1亿年的漫长时间内逐步抬升东南极的地形，最终导致这片大陆在约3400万年前开始冻结。1这一发现解释了为何南极冰盖的形成比北半球大冰盖早数百万年的地质谜团。
由南安普顿大学托马斯·格农教授领导的研究指出，地幔波的持续作用使东南极大部分地区在约4500万年前上升到2公里以上的高度。1正是这种高度的上升，为冰雪在当时相对温暖的全球气候中积累和存活创造了条件——随着海拔每升高100米，气温就下降约1摄氏度。1而一旦冰盖形成，其冰-反照率效应进一步将全球温度降低约1摄氏度，形成了自我强化的冷却机制。1
这项研究发表于《科学》杂志2026年第393卷第6806期。1研究表明，东南极冰盖若完全融化，将使全球海平面上升约52米。1
An international research team has identified the mechanism behind Antarctica's earlier glaciation compared to the Arctic, revealing that mantle plumes gradually elevated the topography of East Antarctica over more than 100 million years 1. This uplift created sufficiently high plateaus and mountain ranges approximately 34 million years ago, enabling snow and ice to persist and accumulate even under warmer global climate conditions, ultimately forming the East Antarctic Ice Sheet—the largest on Earth today 1.
The timing difference between the two polar regions is substantial. The Antarctic ice sheet formed roughly 34 million years ago, whereas ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere developed only about 5 million years ago 1. The mantle plumes raised most of East Antarctica to elevations above 2 kilometers approximately 45 million years ago 1. The Gamburtsev Mountains shifted from being mostly below 1.5 kilometers approximately 500,000 years ago to having nearly half their area rise above 2 kilometers by 34 million years ago 1.
The elevation gain directly influenced ice formation through atmospheric physics. For every 100 meters of altitude increase, temperature drops approximately 1 degree Celsius 1. Once ice formed, the ice-albedo effect—where snow and ice reflect solar radiation—further reduced global temperatures by about 1 degree Celsius 1.
The research, led by Professor Thomas Gernon of the University of Southampton, was published in Science in 2026, Volume 393, Issue 6806 1. Scientists note that if the East Antarctic Ice Sheet were to melt completely, global sea levels would rise approximately 52 meters 1.
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