Robotic Network for Exploration Under Ice Shelf
- Lead PI: Pierre Dutrieux
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Unit Affiliation: Ocean and Climate Physics, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO)
- December 2016 - December 2018
- Inactive
- Antarctica ; Dotson ice shelf, West Antarctica
- Project Type: Research
DESCRIPTION: This autonomous network of long-endurance, underwater gliders and floats collected 14 months of oceanic observations, covering a full annual cycle in Antarctica, under sea-ice and the Doston ice shelf. It demonstrated two new technologies for under ice explorations, enabling observations of water properties, currents and mixing in ice-shelf cavities. In Jan. 2018, the University of Washington and Lamont, supported by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and the Korean Polar Research Institute, launched 3 Seagliders and 4 EM-APEX floats to study ocean conditions underneath the Dotson ice shelf. Lack of such observations precludes accurate modeling of the ongoing rapid change of polar climate and ice sheets.
OUTCOMES: GeekWire, Scientists get robots ready to study Antarctic ice shelves from below, with $2M boost from Paul Allen
GeekWire, Scientists report successful start to undersea drones’ Antarctic ice shelf study
Inside Climate News, 'Extreme' Changes Underway in Some of Antarctica’s Biggest Glaciers