A remarkable new robot named Icefin has been deployed to explore Antarctica’s ‘Doomsday Glacier’, a rapidly melting glacier that could cause global sea levels to rise by up to 3.5 meters if it fully melts.
Icefin is a torpedo-like robot designed to explore the depths of the ocean and is equipped with a variety of cameras and sensors to capture images and data from the glacier. The robot is able to travel through the fast-moving waters of the glacier and has already sent back the first ever images of the glacier from below.
The images have revealed that the glacier is melting from both above and below, with warm water melting the glacier from the bottom up. Scientists have warned that the melting of the glacier could have catastrophic consequences, leading to flooding in coastal cities around the world.
Icefin’s mission is to explore the full extent of the glacier and to help scientists better understand why it is melting so quickly. The robot is expected to provide new insights into the glacier that could help inform efforts to slow down the melting process.
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