Measuring the thickness of Antarctic sea ice, an important gauge of environmental conditions in this remote polar region during a time of global climate change, has been a difficult task. An underwater robot is proving to be a nice solution however.
Satellite measurements aren't reliable due to surface snow, and some ice floes are too hard to reach by ship to make direct measurements by drilling into them, according to Reuters.
On Monday, scientists unveiled the first high-resolution 3D maps of the Antarctic sea ice, based on measurements of the underside of ice floes by a remote-controlled submarine's upward-looking sonar.
The measurements cover an area of around 5.4 million square feet, and were made in 2010 and 2012 by using an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle called SeaBED, which launched off a British and an Australian ship at three sites around the Antarctic Peninsula.
The scientists reportedly found sea ice thickness in some places up to around 55 feet, with average thickness much less, according to Reuters. The findings indicate the ice cover may be thicker in some areas than previously believed.
"Sea ice thickness and its variability in the Antarctic remains one of the great unknowns in the climate system," said sea ice expert Ted Maksym of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, according to Reuters.
Scientists don't really have a good handle on the average Antarctic sea ice thickness or any possible trends, unlike in the Arctic region, where large declines in thickness have been reported.
"By demonstrating that detailed mapping of the thickness of the ice over large areas is possible deep in the ice pack, this represents and important step toward greater understanding of the processes that control the ice volume, particularly in areas that have been difficult to access," Maksym added.
The research was published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
"While we have not measured all Antarctic sea ice thickness and cannot state if Antarctic sea ice is getting thicker, this study is a huge step toward the sort of expanded and more routine measurements we will need to do to truly answer these questions," said polar oceanographer Guy Williams of the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies in Australia, according to Reuters.
The twin-hull underwater robot is 6 feet long, operated at a depth of 65 to 100 feet.
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