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Revealing the hidden landscapes of East Antarctica

28 October 2008

The landforms of East Antarctica, hidden beneath ice several kilometres thick, are to be revealed under plans to map the area in detail for the first time.

An international team of scientists is undertaking a four-year project, starting this December, in which they will fly over the region in a heavily modified DC-3 aircraft. They will use high resolution radar and other instruments to measure the thickness of the ice and the composition, density and texture of the rocks beneath it. The scheme, jointly led by the University of Edinburgh and the University of Texas, will unveil the hidden landscapes beneath this ice covered region, which spans almost four million square kilometres - equivalent to half the size of the United States.

Their findings will be valuable in forecasting sea level changes, and crucial in helping to understand how climates have changed over thousands of years, by pinpointing the best sites at which to further analyse the layers of ice laid down over many millennia.

Professor Martin Siegert of the University of Edinburgh said, "This project will help us understand the behaviour of the largest ice sheet on Earth. The data that we collect should provide a lot more detail of what caused past climate shifts, why there appears to be more ice loss from glaciers at present, and give us real clues to what may happen in the coming decades. It will allow us to see for the first time the shape of the ice, and the land and lakes underneath it, and help us plan future research."

The project, known as ICECAP - Investigating the Cryospheric Evolution of the Central Antarctic Plate - is part of a major International Polar Year project to explore this vast region. Also involved in the project are the Australian Antarctic Division and many other international partners. The Natural Environment Research Council is providing £1·3m for the UK participation in the project.

Scientists will chart the region over three Antarctic summers, beginning in two months' time with the eastern section. This area is believed to have Antarctica's thickest ice, at up to five kilometres thick, which lies within a basin the size of Texas. Next summer, scientists will chart the western half of East Antarctica, including parts of one of the largest glaciers in the world. In the final season, the team will survey in detail an area in the east of the region which lies below sea level.

Funding for the £3m project comes from the UK Natural Environment Research Council, the Australian Antarctic Division, the US National Science Foundation and the University of Texas at Austin.

Further information

Martin Siegert
School of GeoSciences
University of Edinburgh
Tel: 0131 650 7543

Catriona Kelly
Press and PR Office
University of Edinburgh
Tel: 0131 651 4401

Marion O'Sullivan
NERC Press Office
Natural Environment Research Council
Polaris House, North Star Avenue
Swindon, SN2 1EU
Tel: 01793 411561
Mob: 07917 557215

J B Bird
Press Office
University of Texas at Austin
Tel: +1 512 232 9623

Notes

1. International Polar Year is an international programme of scientific research focused on polar regions.

Press release: 57/08

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