NASA's JPL Develops Robots for Antarctic Ice Melt

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is developing IceNode, a fleet of autonomous underwater robots, to measure the melting rate of Antarctic ice shelves and improve predictions of sea level rise. These robots were tested in the Arctic, with successful trials beneath the frozen Beaufort Sea. The data collected will help scientists understand the rate at which warming ocean waters are eroding the ice shelves, critical for updating computer models predicting future sea levels. If Antarctica's ice sheet melts completely, it could raise global sea levels by approximately 200 feet. The IceNode project aims to access hard-to-reach areas, like the grounding zones, where ice, ocean, and land meet, which are currently inaccessible by satellites and pose significant dangers to human researchers. This initiative addresses the urgent need for precise data to predict the impacts of climate change more accurately.