By sending sound waves into the warming seas around Antarctica, an underwater robot has given scientists a detailed new look at the melting undersides of the continent's giant ice shelves, which matter hugely for global sea levels.
The images taken by the robot reveal never-before-seen structures like immense terraces and teardrop-shaped divots, providing valuable insights into how the ice shelves are thinning.
Ice shelves play a critical role in sea level rise by blocking glaciers from shedding more ice into the ocean. Warmer waters melt and weaken these shelves, accelerating the flow of glacial ice into the sea.
The underwater robot captured these images underneath the Dotson Ice Shelf, unveiling unique formations that astonished scientists like Anna Wahlin, highlighting the importance of this research for understanding Antarctic ice dynamics.
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