Unseen mountains, valleys, lakes, and rivers lie under Antarctica’s mile-thick ice sheet. Changes to those hidden rivers could have dramatic global consequences.

Antarctica’s total ice volume is now estimated at 27.17 million cubic kilometers (6.52 million cubic miles). The ice sheet covers an area of 13.63 million square kilometers (5.26 million square miles), with an average thickness of 1,948 meters (6,391 feet).

Peter Fretwell, mapping specialist and co-author at BAS, said it had become clear that the Antarctic Ice Sheet is thicker than scientists originally thought and has a larger volume of ice that is grounded on a rock bed sitting below sea-level.

Underneath Antarctica’s endless sheets of ice lies a hidden world of deep valleys, towering peaks, and sprawling plains. For decades, scientists have attempted to chart this buried landscape, knowing it holds clues about Earth’s past and critical information about our planet's future.

"In general, it's become clear the Antarctic Ice Sheet is thicker than we originally realised and has a larger volume of ice that is grounded on a rock bed sitting below sea-level. This puts the ice at greater risk of melting due to the incursion of warm ocean water that's occurring at the fringes of the continent,” he said.

A “serendipitous” discovery offers new insights into how ecosystems can thrive beneath floating sections of the Antarctic ice sheet. View on euronews

A Chicago-sized iceberg recently broke away from Antarctica, giving scientists the chance to explore a portion of the sea floor that may have been hidden for centuries.