The Antarctic ice sheet is the largest single mass of fresh water in solid form on Earth and could cause a sea level rise of 65 m if it melted.
The Antarctic has been studied intensively since IGY (International Geophysical Year 1957-58) but much remains to be investigated.
Of prime importance is the determination of the detailed surface topography and volume of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, which could be accomplished with high-precision data obtained with advanced instrumental technology.
A second question is, how old is the Antarctic ice? Ice at least seven hundred thousand years old may be expected in Antarctica, formed at a time during the Ice Age when glacial and interglacial conditions alternated every one hundred thousand years. The oldest ice from the Vostok (Russia) and Dome Fuji (Japan) ice cores may exceed three hundred thousand years in age.
The greatest mystery relates to subglacial lakes. Recent observations reveal that they are widespread, but the mechanism of lake formation and water characteristics are unknown.
