What Antarctica Looks Like Without All That Ice

The British Antarctic Survey has been conducting studies of the ice covering Antarctica for decades, and have now released the most accurate map yet showing what the bedrock is like underneath the ice. With 27 million cubic kilometers of ice removed, the continent is a lacy archipelago of islands with tall mountains, deep gorges, a massive continental shelf, and underwater channels. This new map is called Bedmap 3, since it is the third iteration of an iceless Antarctic map. It is the most accurate such map yet, made with twice as many data points as the previous map. The data points were acquired by "planes, satellites, ships and even dog-drawn sleds."

Scientists and surveyors have also determined the current thickness of the ice in different places, and in fact found the place where the Antarctic ice is the thickest. The image of the bedrock underneath will be useful in knowing where and how the ice will travel as it melts under warmer temperatures. Read more about Bedmap 3, how it was made, and how it may be used at the British Antarctic Survey. -via Real Clear Science