American polar explorers inspect the glacier of the ‘day of final judgment’ 

They used a specially constructed submarine robot called Icefin. 

The Thwaites glacier in the Antarctic is often called the glacier of the ‘day of final judgment’. This ominous nickname signifies the consequences we will face if this glacier begins to melt. At the very least, this will lead to a 64 cm increase in global sea levels and the destruction of many coastal zones on our planet. Due to its instability, the melting of the Thwaites glacier might occur very quickly, which is why scientists have decided to study it.

During this expedition, polar explorers drilled a hole with a depth of 590 meters and sent Icefin to survey the bottom of the glacier, which is its most vulnerable part. The device crossed a distance of approximately 15 km and recorded the activity of the body of ice. It discovered that the bottom of the glacier is extremely vulnerable to warm currents, which causes friction between the Thwaites glacier and the ground. This is a dangerous process that should be studied in great detail. In the future, scientists will present a more detailed report on the study.