7 April 2017:
A new digital model of Antarctic ice elevation is being made available, based on 250 million measurements taken by the European Space Agency CryoSat satellite. The model provides a unique 3-D view of Antarctica, offering a snapshot of the undulating surface of the vast ice sheet. This new view of Antarctica can be used for a wide range of applications as showing the surface of Antarctica in such detail means it can be used for planning fieldwork to detailed modelling the ice sheet.
CryoSat’s radar altimeter detects tiny variations in the height of the ice across the entire continent, including on the steeper continental margins where the vast majority of ice losses occur.