Research reveals how the Earth got its ice cap

New research shows that the cool conditions that allowed ice caps to form on Earth are rare events on Earth, and many complex processes must work at once.

A team of scientists led by the University of Leeds investigates why the Earth is known for much of its history as an ice-cap-free “greenhouse” condition, and why the state we live in is so rare I did.

They discovered that the current ice-covered state of Earth was not typical of planetary history and was achieved only by fortunate coincidence.

Many ideas have been proposed previously to explain known cold intervals in Earth’s history. These include reducing CO2 emissions from volcanoes, increasing carbon storage by forests, or reactions of CO2 with certain types of rocks.

Researchers conducted the first combination test of all these cooling processes in a new type of long-term 3D model of the Earth, first developed at the University of Leeds. This type of “earth evolution model” has recently been through advances in computing.

They concluded that a single process cannot promote these cold climates and that the combined effects of several processes are actually required at once. The results of their research were published on February 14, 2025 in Science Advances.

The findings help harmonize discussions within the geoscience community about which processes that drive these cold seasons were responsible.

Dr Andrew Meredith, the lead author who conducted the study while working at the Earth and Environment School at Leeds University, said the study helped explain why the Icehouse State is so unusual.

“We now live on Earth wearing ice hats, which is more than ice-free planets – a very dispersed continent with very low global volcanic activity and large mountains. “It’s due to a coincidence of the global rainfall that amplifies the reaction to remove carbon from the atmosphere,” he explained.

“The important implication here is that the natural climate regulation mechanisms of Earth’s naturalness appear to support a warm, high CO2 world without ice caps.

“We believe this general trend towards warm climates has helped prevent the global ice age of the devastating “snowman Earth.”

Benjamin Mills, professor of Earth System evolution at the Earth and Environment School in Leeds, oversees the project. He added that the findings of the study have important implications for global warming and the immediate future.

“There’s an important message: we shouldn’t expect the planet to return to its constant cold state as it was in the pre-industrial era,” he said.

“The current ice-covered state of Earth is not typical of planetary history, but our current global society depends on it.

“We should do everything we can to preserve it. We need to be aware of the assumption that excessive warming before we stop emissions will bring cold weather back. Inside, the Earth loves it hotly, but our human society is not.