Researchers create 1st identity archive for subglacial volcanoes in Antarctica

An international research team has created the first comprehensive identity archive of 207 known subglacial volcanoes in Antarctica, marking a major breakthrough in polar science, China's Xinhua news agency reported Monday.

The study was led by the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC), with partners from Zhejiang University, Fudan University and the University of Exeter in the UK.

By synthesizing existing scientific data, the team produced the first continent-wide subglacial volcano reference catalogue, ANT-SGV-25, addressing a longstanding gap in understanding the large-scale morphology and distribution of these hidden features, said Cui Xiangbin, the project's lead researcher from PRIC's Center for Polar Ice & Snow and Climate Change Research.

Antarctica's ice sheet averages about 2,160 meters (7,087 feet) thick, with a maximum thickness of 4,757 meters (15,607 feet) in Wilkes Land, East Antarctica.

"Recent research increasingly shows that subglacial volcanoes hidden beneath the massive ice sheet can alter subglacial topography, promote basal ice melting, regulate subglacial hydrological activity, and ultimately affect ice flow dynamics and the stability of the ice sheet," said Cui.

Progress has been limited in the past due to observational difficulties and low data resolution, but the new archive introduces a detailed, multi-parameter framework for analyzing these volcanoes.

Using integrated datasets and computer vision techniques, the team extracted precise morphological features and built a quantitative index system covering size, shape and slope, supporting classification, origin studies and impact assessments.