Scientists have shown what Antarctica would look like without ice
(ORDO NEWS) — Antarctica is covered by ice on 98%. Thanks to modern visualization methods, scientists have shown what this continent would look like without tons of frozen water.
The landscapes turned out to be incredibly realistic.
Even 10 years ago, scientists created the Bedmap2 map. For this, an incredibly large amount of data about the surface of Antarctica was used.
They also used information on the thickness of the ice, studied the topography of the bedrock, which were provided by NASA and the British Antarctic Survey.
If you look at the map, you can see that the surface of this continent is not a flat area, but mountainous, with ridges and gorges. The terrain is jagged, the landscape is really complex.
Also on the map you can see the lowest point on Earth without ice. It is located in Victoria Land under the Byrd Glacier. Its depth is 2870 meters below sea level.
Peter Fretwell from the British Antarctic Survey told more about the map. He says that in the new model of Antarctica without ice, the expansion is many times better than in the previous one.
Dismembered valleys, deep gorges are visible, which is much more picturesque and realistic.
To penetrate through the thick ice and see the topography of the area, scientists used a special radar. The work done is extremely important.
Using this data, scientists can understand how ice in Antarctica is distributed under conditions of global warming.
After studying the Bedmap2 map, it becomes obvious that there are more than 27 million cubic kilometers of ice in Antarctica.
If it actively melts, the sea level will rise. According to recent studies, if all the glaciers in this area melt, the sea level will rise by 58 meters, which means that the world will be under water.
Every year the water level in the world’s oceans rises by 4 mm, and according to scientists, this is the worst possible scenario of all, because it is irreversible.
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