Antarctica has enormous masses of ice that represent about 90% of the planet's freshwater ice. Its ice is essential for regulating sea levels and plays a critical role in the global climate system.
The accelerated melting of this ice due to global warming is a significant concern as it contributes to sea level rise and impacts marine ecosystems.
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Measuring and understanding changes in Antarctic ice is critical to predicting its effects on climate and Earth. However, in addition to climate concerns, there are also curiosities about what is hidden under so much ice.
Scientists led by the universities of Durham and Newcastle in the United Kingdom carried out research which resulted in the discovery of an ancient landscape hidden beneath the vast Antarctic ice sheet Eastern.
The fascinating findings were released by Durham University and published in the journal Nature Communications.
To map this landscape, scientists employed satellite data and echo sounding techniques, investigating an area of 32,000 square kilometers.
Professor Stewart Jamieson, from the Department of Geography at Durham University, is the study's lead author.
The unearthed landscape appears to have been shaped by rivers at least 14 million years ago, possibly before the ice sheet formed on Earth. Antarctica Eastern, about 34 million years ago.
The research focused on understanding long-term evolutionary patterns in Antarctica. The rediscovered landscape is made up of ancient valleys and mountain ranges, similar in size and scale to the glacially modified landscape of North Wales in the United Kingdom.
This discovery provides valuable information about the early and long-term history of the layer of ice of East Antarctica and helps understand how it may respond to future changes climate.
Scientists have already mapped hidden mountain ranges, canyon systems and lakes under the ice in Antarctica in previous research.
Although the landscape beneath the ice is not visible to the naked eye, satellite images reveal small ripples on the ice's surface, indicating the underlying topography.
In some places, the existence of this landscape has been confirmed through the use of radio echoes emitted by aircraft that “see” through the ice and map the shape of the land beneath the ice sheet.
This discovery suggests that there may be other ancient landscapes hidden beneath the ice in East Antarctica, representing a remarkable advance in our understanding of the history and evolution of this continent, as well as its adaptation to changes environmental.
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