NASA’s IceNode robots measure polar ice shelf melt from below

Known as IceNode, the project is being led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Using their expertise in designing vehicles for the space environment, JPL engineers have developed robots about 2.4m long and 25cm in diameter.

The three-legged IceNode bots have ‘landing gear’ that springs out from one end, attaching the robot to the underside of the ice without the need for onboard propulsion. According to JPL, the robots rely on novel software that models ocean currents, allowing the vehicles to position themselves autonomously.   

IceNode has been developed to investigate the ‘grounding zone’ where floating ice shelves, ocean, and land meet. Inaccessible to satellite measurement, the grounding zone can provide insight as to the real rate of ice shelf melt, which in turn allows a more accurate estimate of ice sheet melt. If melted completely, Antarctica’s ice sheet would raise global sea levels by an estimated 60 metres.