Development of Exploration Robots to Measure the Melting of Subsurface Ice in Antarctica

A prototype of underwater robots being developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Los Angeles was tested on Thursday, September 8, at a U.S. Navy laboratory camp. This laboratory camp has been stationed under the frozen Beaufort Sea in northern Alaska since Farvardin 1403 (March 2024). These underwater exploration robots, designed by NASA engineers specializing in exploring distant worlds, aim to measure the melting of vast ice around Antarctica based on climate change and its impact on rising sea levels. Paul Glick, a JPL engineer and the principal investigator of the 'IceNod' project, stated in a summary published on NASA's website on Thursday: 'These robots provide a platform for delivering scientific instruments to the most inaccessible places on Earth.' The goal of these explorers is to provide more accurate data to assess the impact of warming ocean waters around Antarctica on the melting of the continent's coastal ice. This data will allow scientists to improve computer models for predicting future sea level rise. Nearly 1,500 scientists gathering in southern Chile this week for the 11th Scientific Conference on Antarctic Research will focus on the fate of this largest ice sheet on Earth. According to research conducted by NASA in 1401 (2022), the thinning and destruction of the Antarctic ice sheet has reduced its mass by 12 trillion tons since 1376 (1997), which is double previous estimates. The complete melting of this ice sheet would lead to a 60-meter rise in global sea levels. Ice sheets act like giant supports that prevent glaciers from sliding into the oceans. Satellite images have shown that external 'ice calving' (the separation of massive ice chunks from the glacier's edge) at an accelerated rate can help grow ice sheets. On the other hand, rising ocean temperatures erode the underlying ice sheets, a phenomenon scientists hope to study more accurately with the help of exploration robots. Ian Fenty, a JPL atmospheric scientist, states: 'Our goal is to obtain direct data related to ice-ocean melting.' The 'IceNod' project will continuously record data from these robots under the ice, including seasonal variations, for up to a year. After that, the robots will release themselves into open waters and transmit their data via satellite. Previously, the thinning of the ice sheet was recorded by satellite altimeters measuring from above. During the field test in Farvardin, the prototype descended from a height of 100 meters into the ocean to collect data on salinity, temperature, and water flow. Previous tests were conducted in Monterey Bay, California, and under the winter ice of Lake Superior, near Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Scientists believe that ultimately 10 explorers will be sufficient to collect data from a hole in the Antarctic ice sheet, but Glick states that 'more development and testing are needed to establish a timeline for the full deployment of these robots.'