New Map Unveils Detailed Topography Beneath Antarctica's Ice

The Bedmap3 project reveals Antarctica's hidden landscape, offering vital insights into ice flow and climate vulnerability.

The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) has released Bedmap3, the most detailed map yet of Antarctica's sub-ice topography, based on six decades of data collection.
The map reveals the continent's tallest mountains, deepest canyons, and areas of thickest ice, with some ice layers exceeding 4,757 meters in depth.
Bedmap3 highlights critical grounding lines where ice meets the ocean, a key factor in understanding ice sheet stability and potential sea level rise.
The findings show Antarctica's ice sheet is thicker than previously thought but also more vulnerable to melting due to warm ocean water intrusion.
If all Antarctic ice melted, global sea levels could rise by approximately 58 meters, underscoring the map's importance for climate modeling and mitigation efforts.