Ecosystems CRC

Loading metrics Open Access Peer-reviewed Research Article Angeleen M. Olson , Rowan Trebilco, Anne K. Salomon Angeleen M. Olson, Rowan Trebilco, Anne K.

NASA scientist Jeremy Harbeck was on a surveying flight over the Antarctic Peninsula earlier this month when he spotted an iceberg that looked like no other. It was almost perfectly rectangular, with square sides and a flat top that made it look more human-made than natural. “I thought this rectangular iceberg was visually interesting and fairly photogenic so, on a lark, I just took a couple photos,” Harbeck said. These photos have since been shared around the globe.

There are few frontiers in the world that can still be said to be unexplored. One of these terra incognita is the land beneath Antarctica’s ice sheets. Buried under kilometres of ice is a fascinating realm of canyons, waterways and lakes, which is only now being mapped in detail. There are more than 400 known lakes in this harsh environment, and more are being discovered as technology advances.