Unmanned submarine detects eerie structure under Antarctica, then loses contact
The University of Gothenburg’s unmanned submarine named Ran sent back strange images of step-like and teardrop-shaped structures before disappearing beneath the West Antarctic ice shelf in 2024.
The features mapped, which resemble shapes humans would make, are not evidence of Atlantis, but rather evidence of significant ice melt that continues to draw experts’ attention to the region.
“We live in a time when the ocean needs our attention more than ever,” said Sanna Thimmig Johansen, CEO of the Voice of the Ocean Foundation. in question in a newsletter.
VOTO is helping fund another submarine, Ran II, which is being built in partnership with researchers from a Swedish university to continue investigating underwater anomalies in Antarctica.
While certain sections of major ice shelves are increasing, large frozen masses of West Antarctica are often melting faster than snow can replace them; This is part of a trend that has lasted more than 30 years. based on To the Antarctica and Southern Ocean Coalition.
Warming ocean waters are contributing to the current decline. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports sea logging 91% Some of the planet’s excess heat comes from burning coal, oil and gas, which largely causes air pollution and traps heat in the atmosphere. NASA added The repercussions of sea level rise and coastal flooding are already being felt from Miami to Bangkok.
The eerie structures displayed by Ran are the result of melting that undercut the Dotson shelf and created an unstable overbite. When shelves break, they no longer support land-based glaciers behind them, accelerating ice movement and sea level rise. based on to Earth.com.
For his part, Dotson is huge, measured 30 miles wideAccording to the Australian Antarctic Data Centre.
Satellite data shows melt channels are losing 40 feet per year, part of a pattern linked to warming water. The impact is occurring along the coasts, as measurements show Dotson alone added 0.02 inches to ocean levels between 1979 and 2017. According to Earth.com, citing satellite and climate information, ice melt in Antarctica has contributed just over half an inch to sea levels since 1979.
Before Ran disappeared, experts took an unprecedented look at the bottom of the ice sheet, providing a unique view.
“It’s a bit like seeing the back of the moon,” says Gothenburg Professor Anna Wåhlin. in question in a newsletter. He spoke of the importance of Ran’s replacement continuing the work of the brave submarine.
“Current models cannot explain the complex patterns we see. But with this method we have a better chance of finding answers,” Wåhlin added.
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