Scientists take on Antarctica's "Doomsday glacier"
About 10 drilling personnel were deposited on Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica—nicknamed the "Doomsday Glacier"—to figure out how fast it's melting and what that means for sea levels worldwide.
They arrived with roughly 17 tons of gear, braving rough weather, and used helicopters to set up a remote research camp.
High-tech tools & teamwork in action
From their icy base, the team is drilling half a mile down to place ocean sensors where the glacier meets the sea.
Meanwhile, researchers back in California are steering an underwater robot to track meltwater in real time—all before the drilling team has to leave by February 7.
Why does this matter?
Thwaites is melting two to three times faster than scientists thought.
If it collapses, sea levels could rise by about two feet; if that collapse triggers a wider destabilization of the West Antarctic ice sheet, sea levels could increase by up to 10 to 15 feet over the coming centuries—bad news for millions living near coasts.
As researcher Scott Polfrey put it, they're hoping for "hard-hitting scientific results that speak about our planet."