This finding, based on detailed chemical analysis of ancient Antarctic ice, provides crucial insight into periods of abrupt climate change in Earth's history and sheds light on the potential impacts of climate change in the present.

The study, led by Kathleen Wendt, an assistant professor in Oregon State University's College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences ( CEOAS ), and published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , highlights the unprecedented nature of the current increase in CO2. (Eric Ralls, more at earth.com)