A new scientific atlas has redrawn the map of Antarctica’s seafloor, revealing 332 previously unmapped submarine canyons that could alter how researchers model sea-level rise, ocean circulation, and the continent’s past. The study, published in Marine Geology, provides the most detailed map of Antarctica’s submarine canyon networks to date.
The extensive canyon system opens a new window into the polar environment’s evolution over millions of years and its ongoing influence on global climate systems. Mapping these underwater features was challenging due to the challenges of collecting sonar data beneath floating ice shelves and vast, remote regions.
Some canyons plunge to depths of over 4,000 meters, acting as underwater highways that funnel sediments, nutrients, and water masses between the continental shelf and the deep ocean. The size and complexity of these features match some of the planet’s largest known submarine canyons.
The study reveals a clear contrast between East and West Antarctica, with distinct differences in canyon systems that could be key to understanding how each region has responded to past climate changes. This difference helps scientists reconstruct the ice flow history and refine models used to predict how massive ice systems may respond to warming temperatures.
These submarine canyons play a crucial role in regulating Antarctic waters’ movement and mixing, driving global thermohaline circulation. The interaction between warm water from deeper ocean layers and dense, salty water from the continental shelf also drives melting from below, accelerating ice shelf destabilization.
The newly revealed canyon system provides a missing piece of the puzzle for climate models, which can now more accurately estimate how ice loss might progress and contribute to global sea-level rise. This distinction has real consequences for coastal cities and ecosystems worldwide, as it determines whether melting from inland glaciers reaches the ocean quickly or stays locked in place.
Source: https://dailygalaxy.com/2025/08/under-antarcticas-ice-scientists-uncover-a-hidden-network-of-over-300-giant-canyons-with-serious-implications-for-ocean-circulation