{"id":35361,"date":"2023-10-31T01:01:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-31T00:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cd93deb3-8565-4b74-877c-fcb5e7b9f6f0"},"modified":"2023-10-31T01:46:43","modified_gmt":"2023-10-31T00:46:43","slug":"a-mysterious-force-under-antarctica-is-changing-how-its-ice-melts","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/rss_feed\/a-mysterious-force-under-antarctica-is-changing-how-its-ice-melts\/","title":{"rendered":"A mysterious force under Antarctica is changing how its ice melts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scientists hope new, autonomous drones will reveal the geological secrets that have lain hidden beneath Antarctica’s ice for millions of years. <\/p>

By Noa Leach\n <\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 31 October 2023 at 00:01 AM<\/p>

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Deep under the Antarctic ice, geological forces are at work. Today’s water flows and volcanic activity affect how much the ice melts and how quickly. But what scientists are really concerned about are the dramatic, tectonic movements of the past.<\/p>

The fundamental geological landscape sitting underneath Antarctica\u2019s ice will change how quickly its ice melts as a result of climate change<\/a>. The challenge is studying that landscape.<\/p>

Enter the Windracers<\/a> ULTRA drone<\/a>: a new, fully autonomous aircraft designed to complete missions in extreme environments. The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) plans to use this drone to discover how historic tectonic events will affect ice melt in the future \u2013 and make more accurate predictions about it.<\/p>

This technology<\/a> will change the future of scientific monitoring in Antarctica and around the world, says Dr Tom Jordan<\/a>, aero geophysicist at BAS. Over six previous trips to Antarctica, Jordan has been searching for things hidden at various depths beneath the ice \u2013 from the surface all the way down to the mantle.<\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a really exciting project \u2013 it opens so many doors,\u201d Jordan told BBC Science Focus<\/em>. \u201cRather than compromise and do the best that we can with the available resources, it takes away that limit. Being able to do that in more places is really quite exciting.\u201d<\/p>

The ULTRA can carry large cargos of up to 100kg (220lb) \u2013 and uses 90 per cent less fuel than existing aircraft. It can travel distances of 1,000km (621 miles), allowing travel to remote locations.<\/p>

\u00a0\u201cAntarctica is the least understood place on the planet,\u201d said Jordan. In some places, no tectonic data exists at all \u2013 largely due to fuel restrictions.<\/p>

The ULTRA will allow the scientists to build more comprehensive scans so that they can map what\u2019s hidden beneath the ice.<\/p>

In the future, artificial intelligence (AI)<\/a>-driven swarms of these drones could be sent to Antarctica to complete co-ordinated, self-guided missions.<\/p>

What are the scientists looking for under Antarctica?<\/h2>

The drone will carry three sensor systems (magnetic, gravity<\/a>, and radar) to help the scientists build a clearer picture of the tectonic world under the ice.<\/p>

Magnetic field<\/a> sensors can detect the composition and patterns of different rocks, while understanding the gravitational fields of the rocks will help the scientists measure their density. Radar sensors measure ice thickness by pulsing radio echoes into it.<\/p>

The drone is fitted with a removable floor to accommodate these sensors: a feature that allows it to be adapted for different purposes. (Elsewhere, the ULTRAs will be used for everything from wildfire<\/a> monitoring and distributing humanitarian aid to remote parcel delivery).<\/p>

The scientists will also use a spectral signal camera and high-resolution cameras to measure meltwater and monitor populations of wildlife living on Antarctica.<\/p>

What will happen during the mission?<\/h2>

The drone is one of 10 that currently exist, and is already on its way to Antarctica aboard BAS\u2019s research ship, the Sir David Attenborough<\/em>.<\/p>

Dr Jordan will be part of a team from BAS and Windracers heading to Antarctica in the first few months of 2024 to test the drone. They will live there for a month, in 24 hours of sunlight<\/a> per day, before returning \u2013 hopefully, with confirmation of the drone\u2019s success.<\/p>

What they don\u2019t want to find are areas where tectonic activity has created dips that allow the surface of the ice to sink below sea level. This would make the ice vulnerable to warm seawater, and therefore more rapid melting.<\/p>

What they hope to find will come later, after the 2024 test mission. Jordan wants to definitively mark the \u2018grounding line\u2019 around Antarctica: the line that shows where the ice is retreating.<\/p>

The ULTRA drone has a 10m wingspan and can travel up to 1,000km. – Photo credit: Windracers & British Antarctic Survey<\/figcaption><\/figure>

What does the drone look like?<\/h2>

A \u2018quadcopter\u2019, with horizontally mounted rotors on each corner, might be what typically springs to mind when someone mentions a drone, but the ULTRA is more like a light aircraft. It has a 10m (33ft) wingspan that\u2019s as long as a small lorry, inside which is stored its fuel.<\/p>

Its sleek, metallic body is smaller than a car \u2013 but it has a 700L \u2018trunk\u2019 much like a regular ‘hatchback’ vehicle. This cargo area is where the scientists will fit the sensors.<\/p>

It can take off from any runway, including those on grass, dirt and ice, and needs just 100m (328ft) to get airborne.<\/p>

The ULTRA weighs 300kg (660lb). Its wings and tail can be removed so that the field team can unpack it from its container \u2013 and repack it after its mission is completed.<\/p>

The drone is fully autonomous and capable of flying without a pilot, on board and on the ground. However, there is a small remote control centre used to set the drone on its flight path, which consists of a laptop and radio.<\/p>

About our expert<\/h3>

Dr Tom Jordan is an aero geophysicist at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). He has been on six missions to Antarctica so far. His research has been published in journals Nature Reviews Earth & Environment<\/em>, Nature Scientific Reports<\/em>, and Tectonophysics.<\/em><\/p>

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