"Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and South Korea (KOPRI) have spent over a week camped on the ice attempting to tunnel through to the glacier's underside. The researchers used high-pressure water heated to 80°C to drill a shaft 11.8 inches (30cm) in diameter and roughly 3,280 ft (1,000 m) deep. They succeeded in deploying a suite of temporary instruments through the ice to take the first-ever measurements from beneath the glacier's main trunk."
"The team then attempted to lower a mooring system that would sit beneath the ice for up to two years and relay data via satellite. But, during the descent, the instrument became trapped in the shaft, and the researchers were forced to give up on the experiment before dangerous weather arrived. As a result, the team has now been forced to abandon the project entirely."
Thwaites Glacier, nicknamed the 'Doomsday Glacier', is about the size of the UK and could raise global sea level by 2.1 ft (65 cm) if it collapsed. Teams from the British Antarctic Survey and South Korea's KOPRI drilled a roughly 30 cm diameter, 1,000 m deep shaft using 80°C high-pressure hot-water drilling. Temporary instruments were deployed and provided the first measurements beneath the glacier's main trunk. A mooring intended to relay data for up to two years became trapped during descent, forcing abandonment of the experiment and the overall project before dangerous weather. The team had sailed aboard R/V Araon, used an ROV to find a safe site, and required over 40 helicopter trips within a narrow two-week window.
Read at Mail Online
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