Ships, robots and the fight to study Thwaites Glacier

Not only does the icebreaker Araon serve as South Korea’s primary platform for polar science, but it also enables complex field work that would otherwise be impossible. Operated by the Korea Polar Research Institute and outfitted for submersible operations, the vessel has supported multinational teams that study ocean‑glacier interactions in remote West Antarctic waters.

Thwaites Glacier, which spans a width comparable to a large U.S. state, has been losing roughly 50 billion tons of ice each year and contributes noticeably to global sea level rise; these figures have made the glacier a central focus of international research. The International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration has coordinated many studies, and during an expedition in January 2024 an autonomous vehicle called Ran failed to resurface while operating beneath Thwaites during work launched from Araon, demonstrating both the scientific value and the operational risk of under‑ice investigations.

Teams have planned to drill a half‑mile hole through the glacier and to deploy ocean moorings that will record temperature and currents over multiple years, work that will require careful surveying and heavy logistic support. Moreover, South Korea is moving forward with a next‑generation icebreaking research vessel that will be larger and more capable than Araon, a development intended to expand access to high‑latitude study sites and to increase seasonal research time.

Consequently, the combination of shipborne operations, autonomous instruments, and long‑term moorings forms a layered approach to understanding Thwaites; if these systems deliver robust records, models of future sea level change will be better constrained. Nevertheless, the loss of technology like Ran reminds researchers that polar science is often trial and error, and that persistence is required to collect the observations the planet needs.