Welcome to the Antarctic jungle
Antarctica was once a swampy forest with an average temperature of 12C, scientists have concluded.
The study, published in the journal Nature, found that the continent had a much more temperate climate 90 million years ago – similar to that of parts of New Zealand today.
Scientists discovered the previous temperature of the Antarctic by looking at soil samples from the mid-cretaceous period (80-115 million years ago).
The team said analysis of preserved roots and other plant remains in the soil suggests the world at that time was warmer than previously thought.
They analysed an ice core extracted from the seabed near the Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers in west Antarctica. The team found well-preserved forest soil, including plant pollen, spores, a dense network of roots and the remains of flowering plants. It is not yet know what caused the climate change and ice sheets to form.
Professor Tina van de Flierdt, an Earth sciences expert from Imperial College London, and one of the study’s authors, said: ‘‘The preservation of this 90 millionyear-old forest is exceptional, but even more surprising is the world it reveals. Even during months of darkness, swampy temperate rainforests grew close to the South Pole, revealing a warmer climate than expected.’’
Prof Ulrich Salzmann, a palaeoecologist at Northumbria University, said: ‘‘The numerous plant remains indicate that 93 to 83 million years ago, the coast of west Antarctica was a swampy landscape in which temperate rainforests grew – similar to the forests on New Zealand’s South Island.’’ The findings also indicate carbon dioxide levels were higher than expected.
Professor Gerrit Lohmann, a German climate modeller, said: ‘‘The assumption was that the global carbon dioxide concentration was 1000 ppm (parts per million). But in our model-based experiments, it took concentration levels of 1120 to 1680 ppm to reach the average temperatures then in the Antarctic.’’ – Telegraph Group
Some baby formula milk contains up to twice as much sugar as a Fanta fizzy drink despite the potential increased risks of obesity, diabetes and tooth decay, a university study has found.
Some ready-to-drink formula milk for babies under 12 months – used by the 60 per cent of women who do not breastfeed – was found to contain as much as 8.7 grams of added sugar per 100 millilitres of liquid, which compares with 4.6 grams of sugar per 100 millilitres for Fanta.
The 8.7g – equivalent to two teaspoons of added sugar – also exceeds the European Parliament recommended limits for infants of 7.5g per 100ml.
The research – part of an 11-nation investigation into the content of formula milk – found over half of the products contained more than 5g of sugar per 100ml, making them sweeter than many fizzy drinks.
It was conducted by Gemma