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"A Game Changer" -Stunning New Map of Antarctica's Warming World: 'Until Now, We've had Better Maps
“A Game Changer” –Stunning New Map of Antarctica’s Warming World: ‘Until Now, We’ve had Better Maps of Mars’https://dailygalaxy.com/2018/09/4981/
“Up until now, we’ve had a better map of Mars than we’ve had of Antarctica. Now it is the best-mapped continent,” said Ian Howat, professor of earth sciences and director of the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at The Ohio State University. “If you’re someone that needs glasses to see, it’s a bit like being almost blind and putting on glasses for the first time and seeing 20/20.”
This new high resolution terrain map of Earth’s frozen continent will help researchers better track changes on the ice as the planet warms. The new map has a resolution of 2 to 8 meters, compared to 1,000 meters, which was typical for previous maps.
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Howat is the leader of the mapping project, called The Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica (REMA). The map and associated images and data will change science in Antarctica, Howat said, especially as it is updated.
“At this resolution, you can see almost everything. We can actually see variations in the snow in some places. We will be able to measure changes in the surface of the continent over time,” he said.
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