Robotic Submarines Complete Year-Long Mission Under Antarctic Ice
A pair of autonomous underwater vehicles successfully spend a full year navigating the dark, freezing waters beneath Antarctic ice shelves. This historic mission provides researchers with unprecedented climate data without requiring humans to brave the harsh environment.
A pair of autonomous underwater vehicles spends a full year navigating the dark, freezing waters beneath Antarctic ice shelves. Funded by a grant from the late Paul Allen, this mission uses modified Seaglider robots to gather unprecedented data about these remote environments. As climate change impacts sea ice globally, scientists rely on these persistent robots to collect precise measurements in places humans cannot easily reach.
The robots operate entirely on their own for months at a time, never leaving the water and receiving zero human intervention. From March to November, thick sea ice cuts off all communications, yet the gliders continue their complex missions and occasionally find holes in the ice to briefly phone home. This marks the first time modern, long-endurance platforms make sustained measurements under an ice shelf over the span of an entire year.
During this continuous deployment, the autonomous craft travel hundreds of miles and navigate at will to survey the hidden cavity interior. They map out their paths in total darkness by monitoring their position relative to a physical network, executing dives of increasing length and complexity. This high-risk proof-of-concept test ultimately pays off, proving that robotic technology can successfully maintain a persistent presence in one of the most extreme marine environments on Earth.