NASA tests underwater robots to monitor polar ice melt
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is testing a prototype robot, known as IceNode, in the Arctic region. The cylindrical robot collects scientific data from beneath the icy surface of the Beaufort Sea, north of Alaska. This innovative project aims to deploy a fleet of these autonomous robots under Antarctic ice shelves. The primary goal is to help scientists determine the rate at which Antarctica is losing ice, and predict potential global sea level rises due to this melting.
Mission to improve sea level rise predictions
The complete melting of Antarctica's ice sheet could potentially raise global sea levels by an estimated 60 meters. This scenario presents significant uncertainties in predicting future sea level rises. As Ian Fenty, a JPL climate scientist and IceNode's science lead, explains, "The goal is getting data directly at the ice-ocean melting interface, beneath the ice shelf." To achieve this, more precise melt rates are needed from beneath ice shelves — long slabs of floating ice extending from land.
IceNode to navigate Earth's most inaccessible regions
The areas where scientists need to measure melting are among the most inaccessible on Earth. These include the underwater "grounding zone," where floating ice shelves, the ocean, and land intersect. Satellites cannot penetrate these cavities, sometimes hidden beneath a kilometer of ice. The IceNode project is designed to overcome these obstacles by using robots that can navigate autonomously using ocean current models, and attach themselves to the underside of the ice for data collection.
A unique design for data collection
The IceNode robots are 240cm long and 25cm in diameter, featuring a three-legged "landing gear" that springs out from one end, attaching the robot to the underside of the ice. They do not have any form of propulsion but position themselves autonomously using software that utilizes information from ocean current models. Once at their target locations, these robots measure how fast warm and salty ocean water is circulating to melt the ice and how quickly colder, fresher meltwater is sinking.
IceNode robots to operate for up to a year
The IceNode fleet will operate for about a year, continuously capturing data including seasonal fluctuations. After their mission, the robots will detach from the ice and drift back to the open ocean before transmitting their data via satellite. Paul Glick, a JPL robotics engineer and IceNode's principal investigator, described these robots as "a platform to bring science instruments to the hardest-to-reach locations on Earth." He added that it's meant to be "a safe, comparatively low-cost solution" for this challenging task.
