We often forget, but there is an entire continent to the south that is almost entirely covered in ice. However, we must not forget that an entire continent with specific geographical characteristics is located under the ice shield. A NASA video shows what Antarctica would look like without ice. Although it would offer a more interesting landscape from a geographical point of view, it would still be completely barren even without vegetation.
98 percent of Antarctica is covered in ice, thus hiding a large part of it from the world. However, thanks to the latest technology, we can look under the ice sheet, and understand what this huge continent would look like without ice.
The Bedmap2 project was first created in 2013 using a wealth of data. As part of the project, they tried to model Antarctica without an ice cap. They succeeded in creating a map based on data from NASA and the British Antarctic Survey.
The continent is under the ice sheet
Just like any other continent, Antarctica is a land covered with mountains, valleys, and plains. Because of the huge mass of ice, some parts of the continent extend to incredible depths. The area under the Byrd glacier, for example, is 2,870 meters below sea level. This makes it the deepest point on Earth in the world.
While mapping the continent, ice-penetrating radar proved to be the most important tool. This instrument can measure the thickness of the ice and the topographical features of the area beneath it. Understanding the world under the ice can help assess the risks of melting ice from climate change, and where melting poses the greatest risk.
Contrary to popular belief, ice is not as stable as we first think. Although slow, ice is also moving continuously – the direction in which this block of ice can move depends primarily on the topographical conditions underneath. Sometimes this ice is thicker, sometimes thinner, but overall it’s not evenly distributed, he writes. IFLS.
Data from Bedmap2 shows that Antarctica is home to approximately 27 million cubic meters of ice, i.e. frozen fresh water. If all this ice melted, it would raise water levels around the world by 58 metres. Although the chance of a complete collapse is very small, the trend is worrying.
The waters of the world’s oceans are already rising by 4 millimeters per year, which is closely related to the melting of the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. To better understand the world beneath Antarctica, researchers have already set out to design Bedmap3. This project will provide more detailed data about what is hidden under the ice.
By the way, Antarctica has not always been an icy wasteland. A few million years earlier, Antarctica was located in the far north. There was a time when even the ice fields we know today were covered with forests. Moreover, marsupials are so widespread in Australia today because at one time Antarctica formed a bridge between South America and Australia, where a couple of small creatures could go in search of a new home.
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