What lies beneath 16,000 feet of Antarctic ice? A world never before seen by humans

Antarctica has always been a place of mystery, with its icy surface concealing an entire world beneath. Scientists have long sought to understand what lies below the vast ice sheet and, now, a new map offers the most detailed view yet.

Known as Bedmap3, this remarkable project has been led by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and brings together more than six decades of data.

By combining information gathered from satellites, aircraft, ships, and even dog-drawn sleds, scientists have created a stunningly precise model of the bedrock beneath the Antarctic ice.

This map offers insights into the highest mountains, the deepest canyons, and the overall structure of the land hidden beneath 27 million cubic kilometers (6.5 million cubic miles) of ice.

The findings, published in the journal Scientific Data, will help researchers understand how Antarctica’s ice might shift in response to climate change.

Quest to map the hidden world

Efforts to map Antarctica’s ice-covered terrain have been ongoing for decades. The first version of Bedmap was released in 2001, followed by an improved second version.

Now, Bedmap3 takes precision to a new level, incorporating twice as many data points as its predecessor – 82 million in total.

This enormous dataset allows scientists to visualize the layout of the ice-covered continent as if its ice were completely stripped away.

One of the most remarkable revelations in the new map is the location of the thickest ice. Earlier studies placed it in the Astrolabe Basin in Adélie Land.

However, the latest findings pinpoint the thickest ice in an unnamed canyon in Wilkes Land, located at 76.052°S, 118.378°E.

This ice reaches a staggering thickness of 4,757 meters (about 16,000 feet), which is more than 15 times the height of the Shard, the tallest skyscraper in the U.K.

Predicting Antarctica’s ice movement

Understanding the shape of Antarctica’s bedrock is key to predicting how ice will move as global temperatures rise.

“This is the fundamental information that underpins the computer models we use to investigate how the ice will flow across the continent as temperatures rise. Imagine pouring syrup over a rock cake – all the lumps, all the bumps, will determine where the syrup goes and how fast,” explained Dr. Hamish Pritchard, a glaciologist at BAS.

“And so it is with Antarctica: some ridges will hold up the flowing ice; the hollows and smooth bits are where that ice could accelerate.”

The ice sheet’s movement depends on the features beneath it. Some areas of high ground can slow down the ice, while lower, smoother areas may allow it to slide more quickly.

If temperatures continue to rise, this map will help scientists determine which parts of the ice sheet are most vulnerable to melting.

Filling the gaps in Antarctica’s geography

For years, Antarctica has kept its secrets, with its hidden world buried beneath thick ice. Scientists had only fragments of the full picture.

But now, new surveys have filled in crucial blanks, and uncovered details about East Antarctica, the South Pole, the Antarctic Peninsula, and the shifting coastlines of West Antarctica.

The towering Transantarctic Mountains, once only partially mapped, now appear in sharper detail than ever.

Thanks to high-precision satellite measurements, deep valleys and rugged peaks that were once obscured by ice are finally visible.

The height and shape of the ice sheet have been redefined, while the floating ice shelves extending into the ocean have been measured with greater accuracy.

Even more critical is the mapping of grounding lines – the invisible boundaries where Antarctica’s ice leaves solid ground and begins to float.

These lines dictate how the ice interacts with ocean currents and may hold the key to understanding Antarctica’s future, as warm waters seep inwards.

Measuring Antarctica’s ice and its impact

Scientists use a combination of radar, seismic reflection, and gravity measurements to survey the landscape beneath Antarctica’s ice.

By subtracting this rock bed topography from the height of the ice, researchers can calculate several striking statistics about the frozen continent.

Antarctica’s total ice volume is now estimated at 27.17 million cubic kilometers (6.52 million cubic miles). The ice sheet covers an area of 13.63 million square kilometers (5.26 million square miles), with an average thickness of 1,948 meters (6,391 feet).

If floating ice shelves are excluded, the average ice thickness increases to 2,148 meters (7,047 feet). These figures highlight the sheer scale of Antarctica’s ice and its potential impact on global sea levels.

If all of Antarctica’s ice were to melt, it could raise global sea levels by approximately 58 meters.

While such an event would take thousands of years, scientists are particularly concerned about how much ice could melt in the coming centuries due to rising temperatures.

Antarctica is teetering on the edge

The Bedmap3 project has revealed a more fragile Antarctic Ice Sheet than previously thought.

“In general, it’s become clear the Antarctic Ice Sheet is thicker than we originally realized and has a larger volume of ice that is grounded on a rock bed sitting below sea level,” noted Peter Fretwell, a mapping specialist and co-author at BAS.

“This puts the ice at greater risk of melting due to the incursion of warm ocean water that’s occurring at the fringes of the continent. What Bedmap3 is showing us is that we have got a slightly more vulnerable Antarctica than we previously thought.”

The discovery that more ice is grounded below sea level is particularly alarming. Ice sitting on land above sea level is relatively stable, but ice resting on a submerged bed is more prone to melting as warm ocean water moves underneath.

This means that changes at the edges of the continent could trigger further ice loss deeper inland.

What happens next?

With Bedmap3 providing an unprecedented level of detail, scientists now have a critical tool for studying the future of Antarctica’s ice.

The map will allow researchers to refine climate models, predict potential sea-level rise, and monitor the impact of warming ocean waters.

As new technology improves and more data becomes available, future versions of Bedmap may further refine our understanding of Antarctica’s hidden landscape.

For now, Bedmap3 stands as a significant achievement in Antarctic research, offering a clearer picture of a world that has remained hidden beneath ice for millions of years.

The study is published in the journal Scientific Data.

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