ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Antarctic Cold Reversal

Okay, kiddo, have you ever heard of Antarctica? It's a really cold place at the bottom of the Earth. But did you know that the temperature down there used to be even colder a long time ago? That's called the Antarctic Cold Reversal, or ACR for short.

You see, back when dinosaurs were around, the Earth was really warm all over. But then something happened and it started getting colder. That's when the ACR came into play. It was a time when the temperature around Antarctica actually got warmer for a little while, even though it was still really cold.

Scientists think this happened because of something called "ocean currents." These are like giant rivers in the ocean that move water around. The currents around Antarctica changed, and that brought warmer water closer to the surface.

When the water was warmer, it made the air around it warmer too. That's why the temperature around Antarctica went up a little bit during the ACR. But it was still super cold compared to most other places on Earth.

So, that's the Antarctic Cold Reversal. It was a time millions of years ago when the temperature around Antarctica got a little bit warmer, but it was still really cold. It happened because of changes in ocean currents, and scientists have been studying it to learn more about how the Earth's climate works.