Antarctica, a territory largely unexplored, continues to reveal mysteries that challenge human knowledge. In a pioneer mission, an automated submarine toured almost a thousand kilometers under the ice platforms to study the effects of underwater currents in the melting of glaciers. During his expedition, he managed to identify surprising formations under the ice before disappearing in the depths of the ice cream.
The finding has aroused the interest of the scientific community, since it suggests that underwater topography and the interaction of water with ice are more complex than current models can explain. The disappearance of the submersible has left open questions and raises new challenges for future investigations at this end of the planet.
An unprecedented exploration
The automated submarine vehicle (AUV) “RAN” was deployed by the international collaboration of the Thwaites glacier (ITGC) to explore the Dotson ice platform, in the West Antarctica. For 27 days, the submersible toured more than 965 kilometers to analyze how strong underwater currents accelerate the melting of ice and to precisely map the underwater topography.
One of the most important findings was the difference between the western and eastern part of the ice platform. While the eastern zone is thicker and melts slowly, the western part, thinner, shows signs of accelerated deterioration due to the interaction with warm waters of the ocean.
Hidden discoveries under the ice
Before disappearing, “RAN” managed to generate high resolution maps of the Dotson ice platform. These revealed unexpected structures, including strange formations in tear, frozen plateaus and complex erosion patterns.
According to Anna Wahlin, main author of the study, this type of data had only been obtained before through satellite images and ice samples, but never with such a precise level of detail. Submarine exploration provided unprecedented information on Antarctic ice dynamics and the influence of ocean currents in their merger.
The mystery of the disappearance of the submarine
When the mission was about to conclude, the team of scientists faced an unexpected scenario: “Ran” did not appear at the scheduled meeting point. Despite attempts to locate it, the submersible is still missing.
There are two hypotheses about your destination. One possibility is that the submarine has collided with the area where the ice platform meets the rock bed, being trapped without the possibility of being recovered. The second theory suggests that it could have had an unfortunate encounter with a seal, although this explanation is less likely.
Without its recovery, you can never know with certainty what happened with the AUV «Ran», which adds an air of mystery to this scientific expedition.
Implications for the study of climate change
Despite the loss of submersible, the data collected by “RAN” provides valuable information for the scientific community. Its detailed cartography allowed to discover that ice fusion rates vary significantly between the different sections of the Dotson platform, which could be explained by a phenomenon known as a modified circumpolar deep water water.
This phenomenon occurs when the waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans are mixed with local currents, generating a direct impact on the ice base and accelerating its melting. Current models have not been able to accurately predict these complex interaction patterns between ice and the ocean, so the study of these data will become a priority in future investigations.
