Episode Details

Thanks to data collected by satellites, scientists have a good understanding of Antarctica's icy surface, but what lies beneath has remained more of a mystery. In fact, more is known about the surface of some planets in our solar system than much of what's under the continent's ice.

得益于人造卫星采集到的数据，科学家们对南极洲的冰层表面有良好的认识，但潜藏其下的部分则一直更像是一个谜题。实际上，人类对我们太阳系中一些行星表面的了解甚至超过了对这片大陆冰下世界的认识。

Now, researchers have used a new approach to create what they believe to be the most detailed map of the landscape yet. The ridges, mountains, and channels shape how fast the glaciers above move, and understanding the topography could help scientists work out how quickly the ice might retreat in a warming climate.

现在，研究人员采用了一种新方法，绘制出了他们认为迄今为止最详尽的描绘这片景观的地形图。冰下的山脊、山脉和沟槽决定了上方冰川移动的速度，了解这些地形细节能帮助科学家计算出冰层随着不断变暖的气候可能会以多快的速度消退。

The scientists say more research is needed to give greater confidence in their findings, but they hope the new map will ultimately improve understanding of the potential impact on sea levels from Antarctica's melting ice.

科学家们表示，他们需要展开更多研究以提高这些发现的可信度，但他们希望这幅新地图最终能提升人类对南极冰层融化对海平面潜在影响的认识。