27 day Antarctic submarine mission found bizarre ice then vanished

An unmanned research submarine vanished beneath Antarctic ice after mapping strange underwater formations. The disappearance happened under the Dotson Ice Shelf in West Antarctica during a 2022 mission. The vessel, called Ran, belonged to a University of Gothenburg team led by Professor Anna Wahlin. It was sent to study how ocean currents melt ice shelves from below. Ran spent 27 days beneath the ice and traveled up to 10 miles under the shelf. It mapped 54 square miles, revealing flat plateaus, pits, and terraced steps carved by basal melting. The goal was to explain why the shelf melts unevenly, with its east side eroding slowly and its west side much faster. The data helped show how warm currents carve ice from below. Ran had completed 14 successful under ice missions in 2022. On its final dive, it failed to return to a scheduled pickup point after extending its mapping route. "To see Ran disappear into the dark, unknown depths below the ice is daunting," Wahlin said. With no signals or debris found, the cause remains unknown, breakdown or collision among the guesses.