The map of the Antarctica ice sheet surface curvature in the across-slope direction shows a very coherent pattern, related to ice flow anomalies of each flowline with respect to adjacent ones. Near the coast, these anomalies are correlated to bedrock features which suggests that they result from outlet flow conditions that are transmitted from coast to domes. As a consequence, they should represent the drainage pattern, glacier positions and 3-dimensional flowline directions. Thus a large part of the ice sheet flow pattern seems controlled by outflow boundary conditions which can be empirically estimated.¿ 1997 American Geophysical Union