Acoustic experts on the icebreaker RSV Nuyina (a ship tasked with conducting research and supplying Australian research facilities in Antarctica) have just discovered a giant canyon on the seabed, 2,100m deep, 9,000m wide, and more than 46km long, in an area about 70km from Adams Glacier.
Scientists stumbled upon the canyon while waiting for severe weather to pass on a supply route to Australia's Casey research station in Antarctica.
Sonar expert Alison Herbert and systems science engineer Tom Rushton Brumby said this was the second time they had discovered impressive terrain on the seabed in Antarctica using the ship's sonar system.
Exploring and mapping deep ice canyons is key to developing better models for studying the interactions between Antarctic ice sheets and the ocean, according to RSV Nuyina's chief technology officer, Lloyd Symons.
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