News Climate

A trek under Thwaites Glacier’s ice shelf reveals specific risks of warm water

Temperature, salinity and other data show the chemistry and path of warm water eroding the ice

autonomous underwater vehicle Ran amid floating ice

The autonomous underwater vehicle Ran trekked to Thwaites in Antarctica in 2019 to collect the first ocean temperature, salinity and other data from beneath the floating ice shelf. These data help identify the source and pathways of warm waters eroding the ice.

Filip Stedt

By Carolyn Gramling

- More than 2 years ago

The under-ice trek of an autonomous underwater vehicle is giving scientists their first direct evidence for how and where warm ocean waters are threatening the stability of Antarctica’s vulnerable Thwaites Glacier.