Thwaites Glacier research revealed by lost autonomous submarine

Data recovered from the Ran, an autonomous underwater vehicle lost in Antarctica in early 2024, has provided new insights into the Thwaites Glacier, often referred to as the ‘doomsday glacier’. Despite the loss of the €3.4 million equipment, the University of Gothenburg team successfully retrieved research findings compiled during its final mission.

Before its disappearance, the Ran operated for nearly 27 days beneath the Dotson Ice Shelf, traveling over 1,000 kilometers and penetrating 17 kilometers into the cavity under the ice. The collected data utilized advanced multibeam sonar to map the base of the ice at a distance of approximately 50 meters.

The findings confirm that strong undersea currents are causing significant erosion to the ice layer, accelerating melting processes. This research is critical because the Thwaites Glacier contains enough ice to raise global sea levels by more than half a meter if it were to melt completely.