Under the ice of Antarctica, scientists have discovered, which can radically change the idea of the dynamics of the polar glaciers. However, the innovative submarine of RAN, which worked under the shelf glacier of Dawwicon, disappeared in unexplained circumstances.
In 2022, an international team led by oceanographer Anna Vakhlin went to Western Antarctica. The main tool was the RAN Autonomous apparatus-6.1-meter underwater device, equipped with advanced sensors and a sonator for mapping of glacial cavities and seabed. In 27 days of operation, the device examined about 1 000 km, including 16 km of cavities under the glacier. He found: droplets on the lower surface of the ice, created by underwater currents. Complex erosion patterns that indicate unusual water dynamics. Significant differences in melting speed between the eastern and western parts of the shelf.
The results were impressed, scientists returned to the shelf glacier Dawwicon in 2024. But during one of the dives, the apparatus did not return to the assigned point of floating. Scientists have put forward several hypotheses to the disappearance of the apparatus: the underwater obstacle: RAN could face unknown structures that damaged or seized it. Interaction with marine animals: Seals and other Antarctic residents could interfere with the device. Technical malfunction: an unexpected failure of the system could lead to loss of orientation.
Despite the loss of the device, its data remains important for science. They help to understand how the subtle trends affect the melting glaciers. These studies are especially relevant, because shelf glaciers hold back huge terrestrial arrays of ice from slipping into the ocean, which could cause a significant increase in sea level.
The disappearance of RAN demonstrates how difficult it is to study Antarctica's extreme environments. However, the mission has become an important step in the study of glacial systems and their impact on climatic changes.
