Another submersible is missing, but don’t worry, no one is onboard the sub that was exploring underneath the “Doomsday Glacier” in Antarctica. The University of Gothenburg’s robotic submersible, named “Ran,” vanished during its second voyage beneath Thwaite’s Glacier – also known as the Doomsday Glacier – in Antarctica. The glacier has earned its ominous name due to concerns that its complete melting could lead to a catastrophic rise in sea levels. Yikes!Ran is a 23-foot exploration vehicle equipped with modern technology and sensors for measuring and documenting its surroundings underwater. Despite its successful use in Antarctica and other locations, it has now gone missing.“This was the second time we took Ran to Thwaites Glacier to document the area under the ice. Thanks to Ran, we became the first researchers in the world to enter Thwaites in 2019, and during the current expedition, we have visited the same area again,” said Anna Wåhlin, the project’s lead. “Even if you see melting and movements in the ice from satellite data, from Ran we get close-ups of the underside of the ice and information about exactly which mechanisms are behind the melting.
Photo: University of GothenburgThe submersible’s disappearance unfolded as follows, according to the Sci Tech Daily release:
During her dives under the 200–500 m thick ice, Ran does not have continuous contact with the research vessel. The route is programmed in advance and thanks to its advanced navigation system, Ran can find her way back to open water. What it looks like under a glacier is often completely unknown. A mission under a glacier is therefore built up in several stages, which starts near the bottom and outside the ice to gradually build up the difficulty and finally go really close to the ice and perform measurements in the interface layer between ice and water.Ran successfully completed several dives under Thwaites Glacier in January, but during the last planned dive of the expedition, something went wrong. After a long journey under the ice, the AUV did not appear at the programmed rendezvous point. The research vessel aborted the homeward journey and searches were conducted with acoustic search equipment, helicopters, and drones, without success. Eventually, it was confirmed that Ran had been lost.A recovery effort is now underway to locate the missing vessel, according to the release:“It’s a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack, but without even knowing where the haystack is. At this point, Ran’s batteries are dead. We suspect it ran into trouble, and then something prevented it from getting out,” said Anna Wåhlin.Similar to the situation with the submersible that went missing while examining the wreck of the Titanic, the longer Ran remains lost, the more unlikely it is to be found. Looking ahead, Wåhlin mentioned that the group will seek a financier to help replace Ran. Good luck, little friend.
