TL:DR – New maps unveil the most detailed view of Antarctica’s hidden landscapes
- Scientists have mapped Antarctica’s ice sheet landscape in unprecedented detail, revealing features like mountains, canyons, and lakes.
- The study, led by the University of Edinburgh, used Ice Flow Perturbation Analysis (IFPA) to uncover previously hidden topography.
- Findings could improve predictions on how the ice sheet will respond to climate change.
- The research provides valuable insights but does not offer a complete picture of the region’s underlying topography.
New maps reveal clearest picture yet of the hidden landscapes beneath Antarctica | News World
The planet’s largest single ice sheet spans more than five million square miles (Picture: NASA/James Yungel)
Mapping Antarctica’s Hidden Landscape
Scientists have mapped out the landscape beneath Antarctica’s ice sheet in unprecedented detail. The planet’s largest single ice sheet spans more than five million square miles. But more is known about the surface of Mars or Venus than about the frozen continent’s vast underbelly.
Researchers using new mapping techniques and satellite data have now discovered evidence of previously undiscovered mountain ranges, deep canyons, and lakes. They said the findings could help experts predict how the ice sheet changes in response to warming.
Professor Robert Bingham, a glaciologist at the University of Edinburgh who co-authored the study, said: ‘I’m just so excited to look at that and just see the whole bed of Antarctica at once. I think that’s amazing.’
The international team, led by researchers from the University of Edinburgh, used a mapping technique called Ice Flow Perturbation Analysis (IFPA) (Picture: Science Journal)
A New Mapping Technique
He said: ‘Over millions of years Antarctica’s ice sheet has sculpted a landscape consisting variously of flat plains, dissected plateaus and sharp mountains, all hidden under the present miles-thick ice cover. With this technique, we are able to observe for the first time the relative distributions of these highly variable landscapes over the whole continent.’
The international team, led by researchers from the University of Edinburgh, used a mapping technique called Ice Flow Perturbation Analysis (IFPA). It uses satellite data of ice surface changes and ice flow physics to infer the hidden bed topography beneath ice sheets, revealing the complex landscapes missed by traditional radar surveys.
Examples of some of the previously undiscovered hills and ridges (Picture: Science Journal)
Discovering New Landscapes
The new method has revealed tens of thousands of previously undiscovered hills and ridges and provided more information about some of those mountains and canyons hidden beneath the ice.
Lead author Dr. Helen Ockenden, a researcher at the University of Grenoble-Alpes, told the BBC: ‘I think it’s just really super interesting to look at all these new landscapes and see what’s there. It’s like when you see a map of topography on Mars for the first time and you’re like, “whoa, this is so interesting, this looks a bit like Scotland”, or “this looks like nothing I’ve ever seen before”.’
The study, published in the academic journal Science, is unlikely to provide the definitive answer as to what lies beneath the ice. But researchers agree the new maps are a valuable step forward in developing a clearer understanding of the landscape.