Researchers have produced the most detailed map of Antarctica's bedrock to date. (Image credit: Pritchard et al., Scientific Data (2025). Creative Commons.)
Scientists have demonstrated the most detailed map of the relief hidden under the ice of Antarctica.
This high-quality mapping product shows what the frozen continent looks like beneath miles of ice and snow, and will help researchers predict how Antarctica might change in the face of rapidly warming global temperatures.
“Think of pouring syrup on a cake [or chocolate chip cookie, if you prefer] – all the bumps and lumps will determine where and how quickly the syrup gets to,” Hamish Pritchard, a glaciologist at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and lead author of the new study, said in a statement.
The same mechanism would be at work in Antarctica if much of the ice sheet began to melt, Pritchard added. “Some ridges will hold the flowing ice; troughs and flat areas are where the ice can accelerate,” he explained.
Bedmap3 builds on two previous projects that completely cleared Antarctica of ice. The new map includes all the data collected for Bedmap1 and Bedmap2, including measurements from planes, satellites, ships, and even dog sleds. But the team also added another 52 million data points to refine those previous results, according to a study published March 10 in the journal Scientific Data.
In total, more than six decades of data were collected to create Bedmap3, the researchers said. “This is the foundational information that underpins the computer models we use to analyse how ice will move across the continent as temperatures rise,” Pritchard said.
The new map is color-coded to show the height of Antarctica's bedrock above sea level, highlighting both the continent's highest mountains and deepest valleys. The topography is presented in high detail, providing new insights into poorly explored areas, including around the South Pole, the statement said.
Bedmap3 shows the topography of Antarctica beneath the ice sheet.
The researchers used radar, seismic and gravity measurements to map the bedrock and determine the thickness of the ice sheet. Contrary to their expectations, they found that the place with the thickest ice in Antarctica is an unnamed canyon in Wilkes Land, located in the eastern part of the continent.
Previously, researchers claimed that Antarctica's thickest ice
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