A major scientific expedition to Greenland is preparing to deploy an advanced fleet of robots, drones, autonomous submarines, and sensors to study glacier melting where ice meets the ocean. The project, known as GIANT (Greenland Ice sheet to AtlaNtic Tipping points from ice loss), is funded by the United Kingdom’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency with approximately £20 million. Researchers aim to collect unprecedented observations of glacier-ocean interactions that have previously been too dangerous and technically challenging to measure. The data will improve climate models and help scientists better understand how melting ice could influence global climate systems.
The mission will operate from the Royal Research Ship Sir David Attenborough, spending much of the summer near the Kangerlussuaq fjords in southeast Greenland, with additional research planned at Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland next year. Scientists will investigate the narrow boundary where glaciers contact seawater, an area characterized by collapsing ice cliffs, turbulent currents, underwater plumes, and frequent iceberg calving. These hazardous conditions have limited previous research, preventing scientists from simultaneously measuring processes occurring above, on, and beneath the ice.
Researchers believe filling these observational gaps is essential for improving climate predictions. Existing climate models often represent glacier melting as a relatively simple transfer of heat from warm ocean water to ice. However, the real environment is far more complex. Tiny bubbles of ancient air released from melting glacier ice, turbulent mixing, and small-scale heat transfer processes may significantly influence melting rates and iceberg formation. Although these processes occur on a very small scale, they could collectively affect projections of sea-level rise when multiplied across hundreds of glaciers.
The research is particularly important because Greenland is losing ice much faster than it did only a few decades ago. Freshwater released from melting glaciers enters the North Atlantic Ocean and has the potential to weaken the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a major ocean circulation system that transports warm water northward before returning colder, denser water southward. Scientists believe continued weakening of this circulation could alter European climate, influence tropical rainfall patterns, and affect agriculture and global food supplies. Although there remains uncertainty about the timing and magnitude of these changes, improving observations is considered critical for refining future projections.
To gather these measurements, the expedition will deploy numerous autonomous technologies. Flying drones will map glacier surfaces, while helicopter-deployed GPS sensors will monitor glacier movement. Surface robotic boats equipped with sonar will measure glacier melt rates, and autonomous underwater vehicles will map submerged glacier faces and ocean conditions. Boaty McBoatface, an autonomous submarine, will survey ice geometry beneath partially melted ice, while another compact underwater vehicle will enter through drilled holes to observe conditions beneath ice shelves. Additional instruments will attach directly to underwater ice cliffs to continuously record temperature, turbulence, and melting rates as the glacier evolves.
Artificial intelligence will also play an important role by analyzing existing environmental information, identifying regions with the greatest uncertainty, and guiding researchers to the most valuable sampling locations. The observations collected throughout the expedition will be incorporated into the U.K. Earth System Model, providing more accurate simulations of glacier behavior and ocean circulation. Scientists hope the improved understanding gained from Greenland will strengthen climate forecasting, improve projections of future sea-level rise, and contribute to the development of early warning systems for potential climate tipping points.
www.sciencenews.org/article/robot-mission-map-greenland-ice-climate