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Nature cover: Fossilized pollen from sediment cores collected from East Antarctic continental shelf
The Nature cover shows a selection of fossilized pollen from sediment cores collected from East Antarctica's continental shelf. These ancient remains were used by Sean Gulick, Amelia Shevenell and their colleagues to help date sediments eroded from the Aurora Subglacial Basin and document the evolution of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet over the past 55 million years. The team's marine geological record indicates that before 7 million years ago, the ice sheet behaved dynamically and was characterized by substantial surface meltwater, much like today's Greenland Ice Sheet. This behavior occurred when temperatures and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were similar to and higher than present -- climate conditions expected to occur with continued global warming.
Credit: Sophie Warny, Louisiana State University
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Related story: Massive East Antarctic Ice Sheet has history of instability