Most detailed map yet of Antarctica under the ice
Boing Boing • • science
Key Points:
- Researchers have created a new high-resolution map of Antarctica's landscape beneath the ice using satellite data and computer models of glacial movements.
- The detailed imagery reveals diverse features such as high-relief alpine valleys, scoured lowlands, and deeply eroded ice stream troughs, showing more varied terrain than previously known.
- Published in the journal Science, the map improves upon earlier geophysical surveys that relied on widely spaced radar measurements, which required significant data extrapolation.
- Lead author Dr. Helen Ockenden compared the advancement to moving from grainy pixelated images to clear, zoomed-in digital photos, enhancing understanding of Antarctica's topography.
- This refined topography will aid in more accurate projections of ice loss and sea level rise,
