UK ship heads to Greenland to study melt impact on Atlantic

An international team of scientists departed from Harwich, United Kingdom, on July 16 aboard the polar research ship RRS Sir David Attenborough, embarking on a five-to-six-week expedition to study the rapid melting of Greenland's glaciers. The mission aims to gather unprecedented data on how the influx of freshwater could disrupt key Atlantic Ocean currents that regulate climate in Europe and beyond.

The expedition, part of a five-year, 20-million-pound project called GIANT (Greenland Ice sheet to AtlaNtic Tipping points), is led by the British Antarctic Survey and funded by the UK government. It involves around 80 scientists and crew from multiple international institutions. The team will focus on fjords in southeast Greenland, deploying a fleet of advanced robotic instruments to study glacial melt in hazardous areas previously too dangerous for close observation.

Scientists will use drones with high-resolution cameras, surface-skimming robots, and autonomous underwater vehicles capable of diving hundreds of meters. A key instrument is the submersible Boaty McBoatface, which can dive to 1,500 meters to map the geometry of the ice mélange-the dense mix of sea ice and iceberg...