A team of NASA rocket scientists is developing autonomous underwater robots able to go where humans cannot, deep beneath Antarctica’s giant ice shelves.
The robots’ task is to better understand how rapidly ice is melting — and how quickly that could cause catastrophic sea level rise.
A slew of recent research suggests Antarctica’s ice may be melting in alarming new ways, meaning the sea level rise forecast might be vastly underestimated.
If Antarctica’s ice sheet were to melt entirely, it would cause global sea level rise of around 200 feet — spelling complete catastrophe for coastal communities.
Scientists are particularly keen to understand what’s happening to Antarctica’s ice shelves, huge slabs of floating ice which jut out into the ocean and are an important defense against sea level rise, acting as a cork to hold back glaciers on land.
Once they have finished monitoring, the robots will detach themselves from the ice, drift to the surface of the ocean and transmit data by satellite.
This data can then be fed into computer models to improve the accuracy of sea level rise projections.
The team is currently focused on developing the robots’ technical capabilities and there are more tests planned.
A recent research project used a torpedo-like robot called Icefin, a remotely operated vehicle which recorded information about ocean heat, saltiness and currents.
IceNodes will be able to collect data over much longer periods but won’t transmit until its mission is over.
Deep beneath Antarctica’s massive ice shelves, a group of NASA rocket scientists is creating autonomous underwater robots that can go where people cannot. The robots’ mission is to gather more information about the rate at which ice is melting and the potential speed at which this could result in a disastrous rise in sea level.
A cylindrical robot was lowered into the frigid Beaufort Sea, north of Alaska, by NASA scientists in March in order to collect data at a depth of 100 feet. It marked the beginning of the “IceNode” project.
Eventually, a fleet of these robots will be deployed in Antarctica to adhere to the ice and gather data for extended periods of time in one of the most remote locations on Earth.
Gaining more knowledge of this isolated and remote continent is imperative, as events on it have worldwide ramifications.
Recent studies indicate that Antarctica’s ice may be melting in frightening new ways, which could significantly underestimate sea level rise projections. A complete meltdown of Antarctica’s ice sheet would result in a 200-foot rise in global sea level and dire consequences for coastal communities.
With the enormous blocks of floating ice that protrude into the ocean and serve as a cork to keep back land-based glaciers, Antarctica’s ice shelves are a major source of concern for scientists trying to understand what is happening to them.
Warm ocean water is eating away at the ice from underneath the glacier at the “grounding line,” or the point where the glacier rises from the seabed and becomes an ice shelf. This is where the most rapid melting may be occurring.
However, accessing the grounding line in detail has proven extremely challenging in the dangerous Antarctic environment.
The science lead for IceNode and a climate scientist at JPL, Ian Fenty, stated, “We think we’ve found a way. We’ve been pondering how to surmount these technological and logistical challenges for years.”.
NASA intends to deploy ten IceNode robots—each measuring about eight feet in length and ten inches in diameter—into the ocean from a ship off the coast or a hole in the ice. Although they lack a means of propulsion, they will use specialized software to guide them to their Antarctic destination by riding ocean currents. There, they will deploy their three retractable legs, known as “landing gear,” to adhere to the subglacial ice.
Once installed, their sensors will track the rate at which the ice is melting in the warmer, saltier ocean water and the rate at which the icy meltwater is sinking.
According to NASA, the fleet might run for up to a year, gathering data throughout the seasons.
The robots will separate from the ice when their monitoring is complete, float to the ocean’s surface, and send out data via satellite. Sea level rise projections can then be made more accurate by feeding this data into computer models.
Paul Glick, mechanical engineer for JPL robotics and IceNode principal investigator, stated, “These robots are a platform to bring science instruments to the hardest-to-reach locations on Earth.”.
Further testing is planned, and the team’s current focus is on improving the robots’ technical capabilities. According to Glick, an exact timeline for their deployment in Antarctica is not yet known, but it is ideal for it to happen as soon as possible. “.
It has previously been possible to see beneath Antarctica’s ice using robots. Icefin, a remotely operated vehicle that resembled a torpedo and was used in a recent research project, collected data on the temperature, salinity, and currents of the ocean.
However, the IceNodes will be completely autonomous, in contrast to Icefin, which had a propulsion system and was controlled by a tether that allowed it to send back data.
A marine geophysicist at the British Antarctic Survey who participated in the Icefin research project, Rob Larter, stated that both systems work well together.
The length of time a borehole can be left open before freezing over, typically a few days, limits the number of deployments where Icefin can release data in real time. Longer data collection times will be possible for IceNodes, but they won’t be able to transmit until their mission is complete.
According to Larter, who spoke with CNN, “the deployment of both machines is difficult and carries a significant risk to sophisticated equipment, but such creative solutions and risk-taking are essential to learn more about the crucial hidden world beneath ice shelves.”. “.
