Scientists have produced the most detailed map yet of the landscape hidden beneath Antarctica’s vast ice sheet, offering new insights into how the continent may respond to climate change.
Using satellite observations combined with physical models of glacier movement, researchers reconstructed the shape of the land buried under kilometres of ice. The results reveal thousands of previously unknown hills and ridges and provide far clearer images of subglacial mountain ranges than earlier maps.
Although uncertainties remain, the team says the new data significantly improves understanding of Antarctica’s underlying terrain and its influence on ice flow. This knowledge is critical for predicting how fast glaciers could retreat as temperatures rise and how much they may contribute to future sea-level rise.
Until now, scientists have had a strong grasp of Antarctica’s icy surface thanks to satellites, but the bedrock below has been far harder to study. Traditional radar surveys from aircraft or the ground only covered narrow tracks, often leaving large gaps between measurements.
To overcome this, researchers analysed subtle changes in ice surface shape and speed, which reflect the contours of the rock below. Similar to how surface ripples in a river can hint at submerged rocks, variations in glacier flow can reveal hidden ridges, valleys and plains.
The approach uncovered tens of thousands of new features and clarified the structure of known formations. Among the most striking findings is a deep channel in the Maud Subglacial Basin, averaging 50 metres deep, about six kilometres wide and stretching nearly 400 kilometres across the continent.
Experts say the map is not the final word on Antarctica’s hidden geology, as it relies on assumptions about ice behaviour and lacks direct observations of underlying rocks and sediments. However, when combined with future surveys from the air, ground and space, it provides a major step forward.
By refining computer models of ice movement, the new map could help scientists better estimate how Antarctica’s ice sheet will evolve in a warming world. Given the continent’s potential impact on global sea levels, reducing this uncertainty is a key goal of climate research.
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