By sending sound waves into the warming seas around Antarctica, an underwater robot has given scientists a detailed new look at the melting undersides of the continent’s giant ice shelves, which play a crucial role in global sea level rise.
Discoveries Beneath the Ice
The images captured by the robot provide insights into how the ice shelves are thinning and reveal previously unseen formations. Among these are vast terraces with swirling edges and teardrop-shaped divots, some as large as hundreds of feet, believed to be shaped by turbulent currents. Scientists find these structures fascinating and describe them as “enigmatic.”
Anna Wahlin, an oceanographer at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, expressed her astonishment at the data, saying, “I couldn’t stop looking at it. We had no idea it could look like this.”
Importance for Global Sea Levels
Ice shelves act as barriers preventing glaciers in Antarctica from releasing more ice into the ocean. As the warm water erodes their undersides, the shelves weaken, leading to accelerated ice flow into the sea, consequently contributing to rising sea levels.
Focus on the Dotson Ice Shelf
The new imagery originates from beneath the Dotson Ice Shelf, situated in the Amundsen Sea off West Antarctica. Although Dotson is comparatively more stable than other shelves in the region, it remains critical in the context of climate change.
Originally intending to survey the bottom of the nearby Thwaites Glacier, renowned for its rapid ice loss, Dr. Wahlin and her team were astonished by the unexpected findings under the Dotson Ice Shelf.
| Underwater Robot | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Ran | Dotson Ice Shelf, Antarctica | January 2022 |
This HTML content provides a structured and enriched version of the original text while maintaining the detailed information and length as requested.
