The West Antarctic Ice Sheet's stability is being challenged by ocean currents carrying heat into cavities beneath its ice shelves. While most sub-ice regions have been inaccessible, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are now mapping these hidden environments to study ice-seawater interactions and melt.
Breakthrough Mapping Mission
A mission beneath the Dotson Ice Shelf, part of the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC), deployed the AUV Ran to explore the sub-ice cavity. Over 27 days, Ran traveled more than 1,000 kilometers, capturing high-resolution sonar images of over 140 square kilometers of previously unmapped sub-ice terrain.
Anna Wåhlin, professor of oceanography at the University of Gothenburg, described the maps as a significant advancement, similar to