Giant ice mountains on the other side of Earth once dictated Australia's climate—new study
During the most recent ice age, much of North America disappeared beneath ice sheets several kilometers thick. These frozen giants covered most of present-day Canada and parts of the northern United States, while smaller ones spread across northern Europe.
During the last ice age around 49,000 years ago, North American ice sheets were already large enough to influence distant climates, despite never reaching Australia. These icy giants stored vast amounts of water, causing global sea levels to drop around 60 meters (197 feet) and exposing ancient landscapes beneath the ocean. The towering ice walls reflected more sunlight back into space, cooling the planet, and disrupted global wind patterns.
Researchers used climate models to explore how these ice sheets affected Australia's climate by altering atmospheric greenhouse gases, Earth's orbital configuration, ice-sheet albedo, and elevation. The experiments showed that the height of the North American ice sheets was the key factor in shifting the tropical rainfall belt southward, strengthening Australia's summer monsoon, and increasing summer rainfall across much of the continent.
Simultaneously, rainfall decreased in parts of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. This study underscores the interconnectedness of Earth's climate system and the far-reaching impacts of distant ice sheets on global weather patterns.
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