‘Doomsday Glacier’ Mission Comes to a Devastating End

An ambitious effort to drill deep into Antarctica’s rapidly thinning Thwaites Glacier has ended with mixed results after researchers were unable to reach the ocean beneath the ice.

A British and South Korean team used hot-water drilling to try to bore roughly half a mile through the glacier so they could install instruments at its base and gather data on how warming seas are accelerating ice loss and contributing to rising sea levels. But the plan ran into trouble when their instruments became lodged about three-quarters of the way down, possibly as the shifting glacier pinched the borehole shut.

The setback was a bitter disappointment for a project nearly a decade in the making. “Absolutely gutting,” said Keith Makinson of the British Antarctic Survey. Still, scientists say the mission was far from a failure. For the first time, they collected data from deep beneath the glacier’s main trunk, where early readings suggest there is “plenty of heat to drive melting,” according to oceanographer Peter Davis.

Thwaites, sometimes called the “Doomsday Glacier,” is one of the most closely monitored ice masses on Earth. It is thinning faster than almost any other glacier in Antarctica and holds enough ice to raise global sea levels by more than 2.5 feet if it were to collapse.

Reaching the drill site was an achievement in itself. After weather delays left them stranded 19 miles from their target, the 10-person international team established a temporary camp on a narrow stretch of flagged ice. Helicopters ferried in roughly 17 tons of equipment, including the drilling system, generators, sleeping tents, a mess tent, and basic toilet shelters carved into the snow.

Time was always tight. The team had to complete its work before Feb. 7, when their support vessel, the Korean icebreaker Araon, was scheduled to depart for another mission. It took nearly a week just to assemble the drilling equipment, and blizzard conditions threatened to halt progress at any point.

“We’re very lucky to be here; we also work very hard to be here,” said British Antarctic Survey engineer Scott Polfrey, underscoring the dual focus on safety and scientific results.

The urgency goes beyond logistics. Warm ocean currents are steadily eroding the glacier from below, while meltwater generated by friction and geothermal heat adds to the complexity. Scientists believe that better measurements from beneath the ice are essential to improving projections of future sea-level rise, especially since some parts of Antarctica have melted faster than models predicted.

The harsh terrain also posed dangers. At one point, guides heard what they described as a “terrible loud crunching” as subsurface ice fractured near the camp, forcing the team to shrink its safe zone. “My goal is finishing as fast as we can,” said safety guide Jinsuk Kim. “We need to leave as fast as we can.”

Although the drill did not reach its intended depth, researchers say the data they gathered could still help refine understanding of how quickly Thwaites is changing—and what that could mean for coastlines around the world.

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