Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle Goes Missing While Exploring Famous Doomsday Glacier

In a massive blow to research in West Antarctica, the University of Gothenburg has reported that it has reportedly lost an unmanned underwater vehicle (abbreviated AUV) underneath a glacier in that region. The university owns the AUV and was one of a few units worldwide with unique capabilities required to operate under the unstable Thwaites Glacier, commonly called the “Doomsday Glacier.” The AUV, dubbed Ran, is seven-meter long.

It disappeared last weekend during an expedition with South Korea’s icebreaker Araon. This AUV was also part of a project led by Prof. Anna Wåhlin, one of the six core participants associated with the University of Gothenburg on the icebreaker. This was the second time Ran was taken to the Thwaites Glacier to document the area covered under ice. Thanks to Ran, the scientists were the first in the world to step into Thwaites in 2019, and during the current expedition, they revisited the zone.

AUV — Image Credits: University of Gothenburg

Even if one sees melting and movements in the ice via satellite data, from Ran, there were close-ups of the underside of the ice, mentioned Prof. Wåhlin. With scientists increasingly mapping the effects of climate change in Polar Regions, melting glaciers and ice sheets have become a concern.

Most studies are trying to emphasize the nexus between ice loss and rising sea levels, which might be detrimental to the ecosystems far from the Polar Regions. Per the latest polar research, the Antarctic ice sheet has sufficient ice to raise worldwide sea levels by almost 58 meters once melted completely.

Most of the ice is held in the East Antarctica, which is relatively stable. However, a significant portion of West Antarctica is considered less stable and has been losing mass over the past decade. This poses a massive threat of rising sea levels by almost five meters. Much ice loss has been observed within Thwaites Glacier, which flows into the Amundsen Sea in West Antarctica. The glacier, recorded in Antarctica, is considered vulnerable to warming.

If the Thwaites Glacier collapses altogether, scientists project it might raise worldwide sea levels by approximately 65 cm. For this reason, Ran’s measurements got a lot of attention, and not only among polar scientists. During its dives beneath the 200-500 meter thick ice sheet, Ran could not maintain continuous contact with the research vessel. Its route was always programmed in advance, and thanks to the unique navigation system, Ran could find its way back into the open water. In the past month, Ran executed several successful dives under the Thwaites.

Unfortunately, in the ultimate planned dive, the AUV did not appear at the programmed rendezvous point, and after carrying out a thorough search, Ran was announced as lost. The AUV – based on Kongsberg’s HUGIN platform — was financed with about $3 million from the Knut and the Alice Wallenberg Foundation back in 2015.

Wåhlin observes that the university group got five years of service and ten research missions out of the AUV and that the importance of the research made it worth taking the risk to equipment. The aim is to replace Ran fully. The team will look for a financier to cover up the deductions that the insurance firm makes and the rate increase that has happened over the years, mentioned Anna Wåhlin.

Reference: Forbes, Phys.org

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