WASHINGTON: Scientists have created the most detailed map yet of the terrain hidden beneath Antarctica vast ice sheet, revealing a complex landscape of mountains, valleys, plains, canyons, and tens of thousands of previously uncharted hills.
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The research team combined high-resolution satellite observations with ice-flow perturbation analysis, a method that estimates subglacial topography based on surface features, to chart the full continent including areas that were previously unexplored. The map provides an unprecedented view of the Antarctic bedrock and small-scale terrain features.
Glaciologist Robert Bingham of the University of Edinburgh, one of the study’s leaders, said the findings are critical for understanding ice dynamics. “Having the most accurate map of Antarctica’s bed shape is crucial, because the shape of the bed is an important control on friction acting against ice flow, which in turn we need to include in numerical models used to project how rapidly Antarctica’s ice will flow towards the ocean, melt, and contribute to global sea-level rise,” he explained.
Researchers identified more than 30,000 previously unknown hills, each rising at least 50 metres, highlighting the ruggedness of the subglacial landscape. Antarctica, about 40 percent larger than Europe and half the size of Africa, holds roughly 70 percent of the planet’s freshwater in its ice sheet, which averages 2.1 km in thickness and reaches up to 4.8 km at its thickest points.
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The continent’s hidden features were initially formed before it became covered by ice over 34 million years ago, with further shaping caused by the movement of the massive ice sheet. Antarctica was once connected to South America, but tectonic plate movement gradually separated the continents. The new map is expected to improve climate models and forecasts of ice retreat, which play a vital role in predicting global sea-level rise.