'Astonishing' Antarctica heat wave sends temperatures 50 degrees above normal

[NickB79]

18. Worse, closer to 14 MILLION years ago

https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2023/12/07/a-new-66-million-year-history-of-carbon-dioxide-offers-little-comfort-for-today/

A massive new review of ancient atmospheric carbon-dioxide levels and corresponding temperatures lays out a daunting picture of where the Earth’s climate may be headed. The study covers geologic records spanning the past 66 million years, putting present-day concentrations into context with deep time. Among other things, it indicates that the last time atmospheric carbon dioxide consistently reached today’s human-driven levels was 14 million years ago—much longer ago than some existing assessments indicate. It asserts that long-term climate is highly sensitive to greenhouse gas, with cascading effects that may evolve over many millennia.

The study was assembled over seven years by a consortium of more than 80 researchers from 16 nations. It appears today in the journal Science.

At that time, seas were 100' feet higher and Antarctica still had shrubby forests of beech, and marsupials inhabiting them.

https://www.sciencealert.com/there-were-trees-at-the-south-pole-the-last-time-there-was-this-much-co2-in-the-air

A group of scientists have came together to discuss what we can learn about the environment by peering back into Earth's history.

Looking back to the last time Earth's atmosphere had this much carbon dioxide in it, the scene is rather dramatic: there were trees growing at the South Pole, sea levels were up to 20 metres (66 feet) higher, and global temperatures were 3-4°C above what they are today.

That paints a worrying picture about how much CO2 we've got in our air, and how our world might continue to change as temperatures go up.

Hang on, it's gonna get bumpy.