The landscape beneath Antarctica's icy surface spilled in...

What’s Happening

Listen up: Scientists believe the map could shed light on how Antarctica’s vast ice sheet will respond to climate change.

The landscape beneath Antarcticas icy surface spilled in unprecedented detail 1 hour ago Save Mark Poynting , Climate researcher and Erwan Rivault , Senior data designer Save A new map has unmasked the landscape beneath Antarcticas ice in unprecedented detail, something scientists say could greatly enhance our understanding of the frozen white continent. Researchers used satellite data and the physics of how Antarcticas glaciers move to work out what the continent might look like beneath the ice. (and honestly, same)

They found evidence of thousands of before undiscovered hills and ridges, and say their maps of some of Antarcticas hidden mountain ranges are clearer than ever before.

The Details

While the maps are subject to uncertainties, the researchers believe the new details could shed light on how Antarctica will respond to climate change - and what that means for sea-level rise. “Its like before you had a grainy pixel film camera, and now youve got a properly zoomed-in digital image of whats fr going on,” lead author Dr Helen Ockenden, a researcher at the University of Grenoble-Alpes, told BBC News.

Thanks to satellites, scientists have a good understanding of Antarcticas icy surface – but what lies beneath has remained more of a mystery. In fact, more is known about the surface of some planets in our Solar System than much of Antarcticas “underbelly” – the topography beneath the ice sheet.

Why This Matters

But researchers now have what they believe to be the most complete, detailed map of that underbelly ever made. “Im just so excited to look at that and just see the whole bed of Antarctica at once,” dropped Prof Robert Bingham, a glaciologist at the University of Edinburgh who co-authored the study. ” Traditional measurements from the ground or air have used radar to “see” beneath the ice - which is up to three miles (4.

The scientific community tends to find developments like this significant.

The Bottom Line

” Traditional measurements from the ground or air have used radar to “see” beneath the ice - which is up to three miles (4. 8km) thick in places - often along individual survey lines or tracks.

Is this a W or an L? You decide.