Hills and valleys’ found under Antarctic ice
Updated
Scientists have more pieces to add to the climate change puzzle after seeing life under the East Antarctic ice for the first time.
Researchers on a two-month voyage are using a underwater robot with a multi-beam sonar to take measurements underneath the sea ice.
Tas van Ommen from the Australian Antarctic Division says the robot is providing scientists with a three-dimensional image.
“What it looks like in fact is a miniature mountain range,” he said.
“And you can see sort of hills and valleys in the underside of the ice that allow us for the first time really to get a detailed picture of the ice itself.”
The information along with aerial measurements will be used to measure ice thickness and volume, which scientists say will be an important guide to track how the Antarctic environment is responding to climate change.
Topics:science-and-technology, marine-parks, climate-change, environment, antarctica, tas, australia