This article was adapted from an announcement by the .
A region of Antarctica with one of the greatest potential contributions to reshape the natural world and human society is also the least scientifically understood and explored.
A major new global review paper published in is calling for a coordinated global campaign to study East Antarctica's Wilkes Subglacial Basin, one of the most important regions on Earth for predicting sea level rise, containing enough ice to raise global mean sea level by an estimated three to four meters (roughly 10 to 13 feet).
Trevor Williams, associate professor
鈥淭he massive East Antarctic ice sheet is vulnerable to climate warming where it lies on deep bedrock basins,鈥 said Trevor Williams, associate professor in the USF College of Marine Science and a co-author of the paper. 鈥淭o understand the climate thresholds and rates of ice sheet retreat, the paper highlights the need for monitoring present conditions, modeling of future ice loss, and recovering marine sediment records of past ice retreat under warmer climates than today.鈥
Williams and his colleagues at the College of Marine Science are generating these records and proposing new oceangoing expeditions to recover more from this under-explored sector of Antarctica.
Led by , professor at the University of Tasmania and Chief Investigator of the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science, the review paper synthesizes findings from geology, oceanography, climate science, satellite observations, and ice-sheet modelling to assess what scientists know about the vast ice-filled basin.
The review concludes that major gaps in observations mean scientists still cannot confidently predict how rapidly change could occur or what climate thresholds might trigger large-scale retreat.
"The Wilkes Subglacial Basin is arguably the last unexplored place in Antarctica," King said. "No ship has ever been within 150 kilometers of the front of one of the key glaciers, the Cook Glacier. There's no in situ mapping data of the sea floor, and we have very limited information about the ocean conditions that could drive future melting."
Despite these major knowledge gaps, evidence from geological records suggests the basin, located largely within Australian Antarctic Territory, has undergone substantial retreat during past warm periods, raising questions about how it may respond to climate scenarios in the future.
The review was co-authored by researchers from 14 countries and calls for an urgent international response to map the region, improve ocean and ice-sheet observations, and reduce uncertainty about climate and sea-level impacts.
"If we can better understand this region and its trajectory more accurately, we'll be better prepared for future sea level rise, climate impacts, and the consequences for coastal communities and vulnerable infrastructure in Australia, the Pacific, and around the world," King said.
A map of the location of the Wilkes Subglacial Basin, one of Antarctica鈥檚 least understood regions. Credit: Agnieszka Gautier | National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)