The Antarctic is melting, yet it remains covered by a thick layer of ice. Exploring the hidden underside of the ice will reveal clues about future sea level rise.
The Antarctic ice is melting significantly due to global warming.
However, for scientists, understanding the melting ice is not enough; they want to explore the mechanisms behind it to better prepare for what lies ahead for humanity.
To achieve this, researchers from the University of Gothenburg (Sweden) sent an underwater robot named Ran for the first time in 2022. This robot is equipped with sonar technology to explore the underside of the Dotson Ice Shelf in West Antarctica.
After the initial expedition in 2022, researchers returned to West Antarctica in 2024, but the Ran robot disappeared beneath the ice (Photo: Filip Stedt).
The machine traveled over 1,000 kilometers underwater in 27 days, diving as deep as 17 kilometers beneath the ice shelf and sending the collected data to oceanographers.
“There are not many unexplored areas left on Earth. During the mission, the machine disappeared into the darkness at an undetermined depth beneath the ice. It operated continuously for 24 hours before sending data once. During this time, the machine had no contact with us, and this was terrifying.
For the research team, Ran’s exploratory operation is akin to humanity conquering the dark side of the Moon,” said Anna Wahlin, the lead author of the study.
Underneath the Antarctic Ice – Confirmed Hypotheses
It is important to remember that West Antarctica is believed to have a significant impact on future sea level rise due to its size and location.
Yet scientists know they need more specific models to predict the melting speed of icebergs in the area due to global warming.
In the journal Science Advances, researchers from the University of Gothenburg confirmed that the glacial rivers energize the melting of the Dotson Ice Shelf due to strong underwater currents causing erosion.
They also observed that the melting rate is accelerating in the crevasses present beneath the glacier.
Diving Under Antarctica for a Clearer View of the World’s Future
However, what is surprising relates to the ice’s structural connections. Researchers have observed astonishing patterns at the glacier’s base.
The submerged ice features structures resembling mountain ridges, valleys, plateaus, and various forms of sand dunes.
The only hypothesis that oceanographers have proposed is that the reason for these formations is due to erosion caused by flowing water—influenced by the Earth’s rotational movement.
After collecting initial measurements in 2022, researchers aimed to repeat this operation in 2024 to document changes on the Dotson Ice Shelf in West Antarctica.
Unfortunately, after the first dive, their underwater vehicle completely disappeared without a trace. The scientists’ work now resembles being in an “inactive mode,” waiting for a replacement machine similar to Ran.
The research team still has a lot of data to analyze in greater detail. However, to successfully “correct” the erroneous assumptions of current models and gain clearer insights into the world’s future, they need to explore the underside of the ice shelf and delve deeper into Antarctica’s hidden regions.
