Credit: British Antarctic SurveyThe most detailed map yet of the landscape beneath Antarctica’s ice sheet has been assembled by a team of international scientists led from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). Known as Bedmap3, it incorporates more than six decades of survey data from planes, satellites, ships, and dog-drawn sleds. The results are published in Scientific Data. The map reveals Antarctica as if its 27 million cubic km of ice were removed, exposing hidden mountains and canyons. One key revision is the thickest ice location—previously thought to be in the Astrolabe Basin, but now identified in an unnamed Wilkes Land canyon (76.052°S, 118.378°E), measuring 4,757 m thick—over 15 times the height of the UK’s Shard skyscraper. Bedmap3 reveals new insights into the topography of Antarctica. From Bedmap3 updated ice bed, surface and thickness gridded datasets for Antarctica by Pritchard, H., et al. Bedmap3 is vital for predicting Antarctica’s response to climate change by studying ice-bed interactions. Dr. Hamish Pritchard, BAS glaciologist and lead author, says: “This is the fundamental information that underpins the computer models we use to investigate how the ice will flow across the continent as temperatures rise. Imagine pouring syrup over a rock cake – all the lumps, all the bumps, will determine where the syrup goes and how fast. And so it is with Antarctica: some ridges will hold up the flowing ice; the hollows and smooth bits are where that ice could accelerate.” Bedmap3, the third iteration since 2001, is a major refinement, with 82 million data points on a 500 m grid. Recent surveys filled gaps in East Antarctica, the South Pole, the Antarctic Peninsula, and the Transantarctic Mountains. The map better outlines deep valleys and mountains protruding through the ice. Satellite data also improved ice sheet height, shape, and floating ice shelf thickness measurements. It also details grounding lines—where continental ice meets the ocean. The bedrock is mapped using radar, seismic reflection, and gravity measurements. Comparing this with ice elevation reveals key insights. Peter Fretwell, BAS mapping specialist and co-author, says: “In general, it’s become clear the Antarctic Ice Sheet is thicker than we originally realised and has a larger volume of ice that is grounded on a rock bed sitting below sea-level. This puts the ice at greater risk of melting due to the incursion of warm ocean water that’s occurring at the fringes of the continent. What Bedmap3 is showing us is that we have got a slightly more vulnerable Antarctica than we previously thought.” The post Incredible New Antarctica Map Reveals What Lies Beneath the Ice appeared first on Anomalien.com.

While Venus might be the brightest object in our skies (outside of the Moon and the Sun), there is little doubt that Mars has held humanity’s collective fascination for eons, arguably since the dawn of civilization and even before that. Its red glow sets it aside from other planets visible to the naked eye, and it has been incorporated into myths and legends of antiquity around the world. It is also a planet with multiple claims and conspiracies associated with it, conspiracies that reach back into pre-history and permeate our modern world.