<p>Pretty much, because the joining of the Americas caused a shift in the circulation of the oceans. Because before, there was no antarctic circumpolar current (ACC), but there was a current (maybe more) going north to south, distributing heat to the Antarctic. The closing of the isthmus caused that current to disappear, and create the ACC and the Weddel current. Thus making the Antarctic cold.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/feature/how-the-isthmus-of-panama-put-ice-in-the-arctic/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/feature/how-the-isthmus-of-panama-put-ice-in-the-arctic/</a> (it's old this article but still..)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-05T17:45:33.763Z
2020-08-05T17:45:33.763Z
Mr.inquisitive
<p>I have been studying ocean currents and associated energy flows in the eastern Pacific and western Atlantic oceans.  I also looked at El Nino cycles. </p>

<p>I also noted when the large glacial periods started 3 million years ago and noticed that these began when what is now Panama formed between North and South America by continental drift effectively separating the Gulf of Mexico from the Pacific Ocean.  The ocean currents from the Atlantic and Pacific no longer mixed from then on.  However, <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-dating-panama-formations-cast-doubt-ice-age-origins/" rel="noreferrer">this article</a> in Scientific American mentions some evidence that the isthmus of Panama actually formed enough to block ocean currents 10 million years ago.</p>

<p>I am not sure on the macroscopic thermodynamics on how this contributed to the start of the Ice Ages but this is the situation.  Could be coincidental.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-09T23:36:10.273Z
It would really be great if you could add some time estimates.
f.thorpe
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-10T06:54:15.520Z
I have no knowledge of what is the current theory of the beginning of ice ages, but I can reason how this could affect. Ocean currents are a large factor balancing the temperature difference between equator and poles. The more restrained the oceans are the less effectively will they be able to form circulations that do this balancing.
Communisty
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-11T08:46:35.780Z
Here's a related article, a bit more recent (2015 vs 2012) but covers the same uncertainty.   https://phys.org/news/2015-04-evidence-isthmus-panama-earlier-thought.html  It's fairly obvious how changing ocean currents can trigger an ice age.  That's why the Isthmus hypothesis was so neat and tidy and easy to believe and it may still be one of the key factors.   But if it did form a few million years earlier, then more study is needed.
userLTK
<ocean-currents><ice-age><continent>
Did the formation of Panama trigger the beginning of Ice Ages?
0tyranny0poverty
# Did the formation of Panama trigger the beginning of Ice Ages?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-10-09)

I have been studying ocean currents and associated energy flows in the eastern Pacific and western Atlantic oceans. I also looked at El Nino cycles.

I also noted when the large glacial periods started 3 million years ago and noticed that these began when what is now Panama formed between North and South America by continental drift effectively separating the Gulf of Mexico from the Pacific Ocean. The ocean currents from the Atlantic and Pacific no longer mixed from then on. However, [this article](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-dating-panama-formations-cast-doubt-ice-age-origins/) in Scientific American mentions some evidence that the isthmus of Panama actually formed enough to block ocean currents 10 million years ago.

I am not sure on the macroscopic thermodynamics on how this contributed to the start of the Ice Ages but this is the situation. Could be coincidental.

**Tags:** ocean-currents, ice-age, continent

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: It would really be great if you could add some time estimates.  
> **username_2**: I have no knowledge of what is the current theory of the beginning of ice ages, but I can reason how this could affect. Ocean currents are a large factor balancing the temperature difference between equator and poles. The more restrained the oceans are the less effectively will they be able to form circulations that do this balancing.  
> **username_3**: Here's a related article, a bit more recent (2015 vs 2012) but covers the same uncertainty.   https://phys.org/news/2015-04-evidence-isthmus-panama-earlier-thought.html  It's fairly obvious how changing ocean currents can trigger an ice age.  That's why the Isthmus hypothesis was so neat and tidy and easy to believe and it may still be one of the key factors.   But if it did form a few million years earlier, then more study is needed.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2020-08-05. Score: 2

Pretty much, because the joining of the Americas caused a shift in the circulation of the oceans. Because before, there was no antarctic circumpolar current (ACC), but there was a current (maybe more) going north to south, distributing heat to the Antarctic. The closing of the isthmus caused that current to disappear, and create the ACC and the Weddel current. Thus making the Antarctic cold.

<https://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/feature/how-the-isthmus-of-panama-put-ice-in-the-arctic/> (it's old this article but still..)


---

