Eight months under the ice: the robot that returned from Antarctica with data from a hidden world

The device, integrated into the international Argo program, returned to the surface after being trapped under the ice, where continued measuring temperature, salinity, pressure, oxygen, pH y nitrates. The data was analyzed by scientists from the CSIRO and the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership, whose results were published in the journal Science Advances.

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The measurements reveal a contrast between both platforms: while Shackleton shows greater stability by not receiving warm water at its base, the Denman glacier shows signs of influx of warm water, a factor that could accelerate its melting and generate an unstable retreat with a direct impact on sea level.

The robot managed to record, for the first time, a complete transect under an East Antarctic ice shelf, observing the narrow layer—just 10 meters—where heat exchange between the ocean and the ice occurs. “We were lucky to obtain data impossible by traditional methods”said oceanographer Steve Rintoul, explaining that the device’s route had to be reconstructed by comparing impacts with ice and satellite data.

The authors highlight that this information will allow us to improve climate models and the projection of the evolution of the polar system. For researcher Delphine Lannuzel, the finding demonstrates that small autonomous instruments can transform the understanding of remote regions and anticipate risks for inhabited coastal areas.