The most accurate map of Antarctica will help better understand the effects of climate change

For over a quarter of a century, scientists working with the British Antarctic Survey have been studying the topography of the coldest continent on Earth. Thanks to their efforts, the most accurate map of Antarctica to date has been created. It will allow for better predictions of how this ice-covered land will respond to progressing climate change. The map also provides many other insights. What do the icy masses of Antarctica conceal, and what is the significance of this knowledge for modern science?

The map of Antarctica has never been this precise

This is the third attempt by BAS scientists to chart the topography of the white continent. The current map of Antarctica compiles data obtained from aerial, land-based, marine, and satellite research. The latest technologies and increasingly precise satellite and aerial imagery were used. Archival research results, including those gathered with dog sleds or traditional bathymetric studies, also played a role. The results of the project were published in March 2025 on the Scientific Data website.

The key difference between previous editions of the Antarctic map and the newest version lies in the detail and accuracy of the measurements. These studies are expanding our knowledge of areas that were previously poorly understood, such as mountain ranges within East Antarctica, along the coastlines of West Antarctica, and on the Antarctic Peninsula. The new map precisely shows the shape of deep valleys and peaks protruding above the ice sheet. It also allows for a more accurate assessment of the thickness and structure of the ice cover, as well as the depth of drifting ice shelves.

A glacier as tall as Mont Blanc

Until now, researchers had assumed that the thickest layer of ice was located in the Astrolabe Basin on Adélie Land (East Antarctica). However, it turns out that the record is held by the ice sheet in an unnamed canyon in neighboring Wilkes Land. Thanks to the research conducted by the British Antarctic Survey, it is now known that the Antarctic ice sheet reaches a maximum thickness of 4,757 m, which is roughly equal to the height of Mont Blanc, fifteen times the height of The Shard skyscraper in London, or twenty times the height of the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw.

This thick cover consists of vast amounts of mostly frozen water. However, it is not entirely dry or motionless. It has long been known that seasonal rivers and lakes appear in Antarctica. Thanks to the precise map, we can now determine where they are located and how they may move across the rocky land as global temperatures rise. Dr. Hamish Pritchard, a glaciologist from BAS, compares the phenomenon to a cake being covered in icing. Imagine pouring syrup over a rocky cake – all the lumps, all the irregularities will determine where and how fast it flows.

The future read from the map of Antarctica

Around 90 percent of all ice on Earth is trapped on the white continent. Work on successive versions of the Antarctic map has allowed for a more precise calculation of its volume and the interactions between the ice sheet and the bedrock beneath it. The total volume of Antarctic ice is 27.17 million cubic kilometers, and its average thickness, excluding ice shelves, is as much as 2,148 m. It is estimated that melting ice of such volume could raise the global sea level by an average of 60 m.

However, it is not necessary for all of Antarctica’s ice to melt in order to cause chaos across ecosystems. The melting of even part of the ice sheet would affect not only sea levels but also the composition of ocean water. Changes in density, salinity, temperatures, and (as a result) ocean currents would completely reshape the landscape of the aquatic world. This is why research on the ice sheet and the topographic map of Antarctica is one of the most important tools for monitoring and understanding changes caused by global warming.

Thanks to the detailed mapping of data onto Antarctica, we can also peer into the past. The topography of the continent, hidden until now beneath 27 million cubic kilometers of ice, is revealed to us. This allows for a better understanding of how ice shaped the terrain of this once green and life-filled land.