New Dutch equipment installed in Antarctica for climate research

New equipment from the Netherlands has been installed in Antarctica. With the equipment, Dutch researchers will investigate whether and how quickly large ice plates break off – important data to know when it comes to predicting sea level rise.

The instruments have been installed on the Larsen C Ice Shelf, which is roughly the size of the Netherlands. They measure the sponge effect of snow – whether the water from melted snow remains in place and refreezes, or whether it leads to the rapid breakoff of large ice shelves around Antarctica.

The measurement data from Antarctica is sent to Utrecht via satellites. Initial results indicate that the equipment is working well, the Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (IMAU) in Utrecht confirmed to RTL Nieuws.

Important knowledge on this sponge effect is still lacking in global climate research. The floating ice shelves in Antarctica keep the glaciers’ land ice in place at the South Pole. Without these ice shelves, glaciers will flow into the sea at an accelerated rate, leading to even greater sea level rise.

As a country that has a significant portion below sea level, the data is considered to be especially important for the Netherlands.