New Antarctic Map Unveils Hidden Topography Beneath the Ice

Fri Jan 16 2026 11:03:19 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A groundbreaking study maps previously unknown landscapes beneath Antarctica, providing insights into climate change and future sea-level rise.

Using advanced satellite data, researchers have revealed a detailed topographical map of Antarctica's underbelly, uncovering thousands of hidden hills, ridges, and deep channels. This research is crucial as it enhances our understanding of how Antarctica's ice may respond to climate change, impacting global sea levels.

A new map has unmasked the landscape beneath Antarctica's ice in unprecedented detail, something scientists say could greatly enhance our understanding of the frozen white continent.

Researchers used satellite data and the physics of how Antarctica's glaciers move to work out what the continent might look like beneath the ice.

They found evidence of thousands of previously undiscovered hills and ridges, and say their maps of some of Antarctica's hidden mountain ranges are clearer than ever before.

While the maps are subject to uncertainties, the researchers believe the new details could shed light on how Antarctica will respond to climate change - and what that means for sea-level rise.

It's like before you had a grainy pixel film camera, and now you've got a properly zoomed-in digital image of what's really going on, lead author Dr Helen Ockenden, a researcher at the University of Grenoble-Alpes, told BBC News.

Thanks to satellites, scientists have a good understanding of Antarctica's icy surface – but what lies beneath has remained more of a mystery.

In fact, more is known about the surface of some planets in our Solar System than much of Antarctica's underbelly – the topography beneath the ice sheet.

But researchers now have what they believe to be the most complete, detailed map of that underbelly ever made.

I'm just so excited to look at that and just see the whole bed of Antarctica at once, said Prof Robert Bingham, a glaciologist at the University of Edinburgh who co-authored the study. I think that's amazing.

Traditional measurements from the ground or air have used radar to see beneath the ice - which is up to three miles (4.8km) thick in places - often along individual survey lines or tracks.

As researchers revealed, the new approach combining satellite information with physics has unveiled tens of thousands of previously undiscovered formations.

Future studies may further clarify the interactions between ice and the underlying landscape, aiding predictions on how climate change influences melting rates in Antarctica, a significant factor in global sea-level rise.