Specialists from University College Cork and the University of Barcelona have created the most complete catalog of submarine canyons in Antarctica.
In the new study, published in Marine Geology, they identified five times more sub -sclen more than previously.
The catalog includes 332 systems that bring together 3291 watercourses, while in the region only a few hundred were known in the region. These V-shaped canyons and U are dug into the bottom of the sea under the glaciers and play a key role in the oceanographic processes and in the climatic system of the earth.
Many of them start from the edge of the continental platform and descend to depths of 4000 meters. The greatest diversity and branching was recorded in East Antarctica, where the canyons are generally longer and wider, while in the western part they are shorter, steeper and narrower.
“These structures determine the ways of circulation of water and sediments and, therefore, influence global circulation and climate,” said Dr. David Amblàs from the University of Barcelona.
