Antarctic glaciers strongly influence the ocean, providing freshwater and nutrients to the sea when they melt, and pushing up sea levels globally. They are also vulnerable to ocean warming, becoming more unstable and calving more frequently. To understand better how these key processes work, and what are their implications for climate, sea level rise and ocean ecosystems, we ventured to the Antarctic on the UK polar research vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough. This was a rare wintertime expedition, during which we surveyed a number of glaciers and measured the ocean adjacent to them, often in darkness and in frigid temperatures. The photo was taken during this wintertime campaign, in a key location called Börgen Bay on the Antarctic Peninsula. The glaciers here are retreating rapidly, linked to strong warming in the ocean and atmosphere. Our measurement campaign involved manoeuvring the ship close to these glaciers, so that oceanographic instruments could be deployed at the same time as determining the glacier characteristics. The photo shows the ship's searchlights picking out features of the William Glacier in Börgen Bay, while scientists and field staff observe. A dramatic calving of this glacier was observed later the same night. Photo taken in May 2025 with an iPhone 16 Pro Max on standard Photo setting. No post-processing applied.
Article from The Royal Society
