Name: Meet NASA’s newest tool to fight climate change
Uploaded: 2024-09-03T20:07:36.013Z
Duration: 2 min 31 s
Description: A team of NASA rocket scientists is developing autonomous underwater robots that are able to go where humans cannot, deep beneath Antarctica’s giant ice shelves. The robots’ task is to better understand how rapidly ice is melting — and how quickly that could cause catastrophic sea level rise.

A team of NASA rocket scientists is developing autonomous underwater robots that are able to go where humans cannot, deep beneath Antarctica’s giant ice shelves. The robots’ task is to better understand how rapidly ice is melting — and how quickly that could cause catastrophic sea level rise.

Alaska

Extreme weather events are occurring more frequently amid rising sea-levels and increasing temperatures.

Climate Crisis

NASA has introduced a fleet of autonomous underwater robots aimed at assessing the rate of ice melt under Antarctica's giant ice shelves. This project, named IceNode, seeks to determine how quickly rising sea levels could impact coastal cities. Unlike previous efforts that used tethered robots, these new robots are designed to operate autonomously for up to a year, collecting data from the grounding lines where ice meets the seabed. The data, once transmitted to satellites, will help scientists understand the dynamics of ice melt and predict future sea-level changes with greater accuracy.

The IceNode project focuses on critical areas around Antarctica, such as the Thwaites Glacier. Studies have shown that warm ocean currents are penetrating these glaciers, accelerating their melt rates. Thwaites Glacier, in particular, serves as a critical barrier holding back significant portions of Antarctic ice. The potential melting of this glacier alone could result in a sea level rise of up to two feet, while the complete melting of Antarctica's ice could increase sea levels by twenty feet.

Understanding these processes is vital given the catastrophic implications of even minor increases in sea levels. Coastal cities around the world, including Miami, Charleston, Boston, and Shanghai, could face severe consequences from rising ocean levels. NASA's new autonomous robotic technology is expected to provide long-term, accurate data to help scientists better predict and prepare for these changes.



Meet NASA’s newest tool to fight climate change

Meet NASA's newest tool in the fight against climate change and rising oceans, a fleet of autonomous robots that would dive deep under polar ice. Their mission is to determine how fast Antarctica's giant ice shelves are melting and how long we have until rising sea levels swallow coastal cities. This project is called IceNode. CNN Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir is here with the details on this. Tell us about this, Bill. Well, Brian, Boris, NASA known for their suite of cool tools, this one really focused on life here on Earth, especially at the poles, trying to answer the question, what happens on a planet overheated by fossil fuel pollution when land ice in Antarctica melts faster than anyone even predicted a decade ago? Well, measuring how fast it's going away has been a real problem. You can imagine some of the most inhospitable places on the planet, especially considering that the grounding line of these big glaciers around Antarctica are the key places to study. That's where the ice meets the under seabed there. And there are new fears, new science has shown, when they sent down a controlled sort of attached robot called IceFin that warm water is getting under big glaciers down south like the Thwaites, a glacier the size of Florida that's acting as sort of a cork holding back all the land ice on Antarctica. They have 10 new sort of robots. These are these IceNodes they want to deploy around Antarctica. They're autonomous. They're not connected to a cord the way that IceFin was. They let them float and are sort of directed by the computers on board to ocean currents to then attach to that grounding line underwater in that frozen and then stay there for up to a year. When they eventually release, they'll be able to send all the data of what's exactly happening into satellites and get a much more accurate long-term data set of what is going on on the bottom of the ocean. It's important to remember the North Pole is basically a frozen ocean surrounded by land. South Pole is the opposite, a big chunk of frozen land surrounded by ocean. And if that goes away, just Thwaites could raise sea level rise by two feet. The whole of Antarctica could be 20 feet. That's a really apocalyptic scenario that scientists aren't talking about. But even a few inches, six inches, a foot, could be devastating in places like Miami, Charleston, Boston, Shanghai, around the world coastal cities that are right on the edge. And we built for a different age, a different Earth that is sort of steadily going away. So knowledge is power and understanding really what's happening to these glaciers that took millions of years to form.

Chile heads to a December runoff after Sunday's presidential vote left no clear winner. Leftist Jeannette Jara and far-right José Antonio Kast will now face off in a race dominated by concerns over crime and migration.

Santiago

Chile leftists advance to next month's presidential runoff

Construction work of a concrete wall continued on the Israeli side of southern border with Lebanon, despite the Lebanese presidency's threat to complain to the U.N. Security Council over the wall's extension into Lebanese territory.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Middle East Conflict

Israel constructs wall along Lebanon border

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro slammed planned joint military exercises by the United States and its ally Trinidad and Tobago as "irresponsible," with Washington increasing its armed presence in the Caribbean.

Caracas

Maduro denounces US military exercises

Despite U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated attempts to kill the effort to release federal files related to Jeffrey Epstein, House Republican leaders are planning to hold a vote this week on legislation to force the issue.

Washington

Claims Epstein emails mentioning Trump were 'selectively leaked'

President Trump says he has "sort of made up my mind" on whether to take military action in Venezuela. The comments come as America's largest aircraft carrier, the Ford, and other U.S. forces move within striking distance of the country. Charlie D'Agata has new details.

Trump says he's "sort of made up my mind" on Venezuela military action

President Trump says he will no longer support onetime close ally and Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene amid the ongoing fallout over the Epstein files. Willie James Inman reports.

Marjorie Taylor Greene 'threatened' by Trump supporters amid Epstein fallout

Flash flood warnings expanded on Saturday as rain hit wide swaths of California amid fears that the atmospheric river will intensify. Andres Gutierrez has the latest details.

Pacific Palisades

Rainstorm pummels California, triggering flash flood warnings

Large-scale protests at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, have drawn attention to environmental concerns and the preservation of the Amazon rainforest. Inside the summit, negotiations have been complicated by the absence of the United States.

Belém

Protesters block entrance to COP30 climate talks in Brazil

The UN climate talks in Brazil are facing increasing disruption from protesters. Thousands joined the "Great People's March" outside the conference venue to demand action on global warming instead of empty promises.

Thousands join protest at COP30 climate talks in Brazil

Air travel and other government services, including SNAP benefits, are returning to normal following the end of the longest shutdown in U.S. history.

Los Angeles International Airport

Flights begin to get back on track as shutdown ends

The U.S. military is expanding operations in the Caribbean and Puerto Rico amid its deadly boat strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats, while the Trump administration weighs military action against Venezuela.

Trump administration weighs U.S military action in Venezuela

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced "Operation Southern Spear" in the Western Hemisphere as U.S. strikes continue in the region near Colombia and Venezuela. CBS News' Eleanor Watson reports.

Hegseth announces 'Operation Southern Spear'

The U.S. has approved the sale of $330 million worth of weapons to Taiwan as tensions rise in the region with China. CBS News' Nancy Cordes reports.

Taipei City

U.S. approves massive sale of weapons to Taiwan

Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin successfully launched its New Glenn rocket on Thursday with NASA twin spacecraft destined for Mars aboard, and in a breakthrough nailed the landing of its booster.

Cape Canaveral

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket deploys Mars satellites

A three-person crew stranded at China’s space station after their spacecraft was apparently hit by space debris are to return Friday using the craft that brought their replacement crew.

Chinese astronauts return to earth after spacecraft damaged

The AI firm Anthropic says Chinese hackers used its artificial intelligence tools to spy on tech companies, financial institutions and government agencies in what it believes is the first documented case of a worldwide cyberattack with minimal human involvement.

Rise of AI

Anthropic says Chinese hackers used its AI chatbot in cyberattack

Senior U.S. military officials have presented President Donald Trump with options for potential military operations inside Venezuela, including strikes on land, sources tell CBS News. Charlie D'Agata reports.

Trump weighs military plans against Venezuela

U.S. President Donald Trump is ducking press questions about newly released emails connecting him to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal activities ahead of an expected vote on releasing all Epstein case files by the U.S. House of Representatives as early as next week.

Trump avoids media’s Epstein email questions

The U.S. government lumbered back to life on Thursday (November 13) after the longest shutdown in U.S. history snarled air traffic, cut food assistance to low-income Americans and forced more than 1 million workers to go unpaid for more than a month. But the deep political divisions that caused the 43-day shutdown in the first place remain unresolved.

U.S. government opens up again but deep political divisions remain

China's factory output and retail sales grew at their weakest pace in over a year in October, piling pressure on policymakers to revamp the $19 trillion export-driven economy as mounting supply and demand strains threaten to further curtail growth.

Beijing

China's factory output, retail sales growth worst in over a year

Germany's government plans to bring back military service, to boost troop numbers to deal with the perceived threat from Russia. But voluntary conscription could become compulsory, if not enough recruits come forward.

Berlin

Germany outlines potential shift to compulsory conscription

As F-35 stealth fighter jets fly missions from a reopened naval base in Puerto Rico and Marines practice beach landings, sources tell CBS News the Pentagon is preparing for possible military action in Venezuela. Charlie D'Agata reports.

Pentagon preparing for possible military action in Venezuela

President Trump's name appears hundreds of times in the newly-released batch of 23,000 pages of records and messages from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, raising questions about their relationship. Mr. Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has called the scandal a "hoax" perpetrated by Democrats.

Trump named hundreds of times in newly released Epstein files

A federal judge has ruled that hundreds of people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement during "Operation Midway Blitz" in the Chicago area must be released. CBS News immigration and politics reporter Camilo Montoya-Galvez has more.

Chicago

Judge finds ICE illegally arrested hundreds of people in Chicago

For the first time in six weeks, the U.S. government is open. President Trump signed a bill last night to fund the government through the end of January.

Trump says he is 'willing to work with anyone' on health care

U.S. forces have killed four people in the latest strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean. CBS News national security coordinating producer James LaPorta has more.

U.S. forces kill four in latest Caribbean drug boat strike

Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque in the West Bank on Thursday (November 13) and sprayed racist slogans on its walls, Palestinian residents said.

Jerusalem

Israeli settlers torch mosque in West Bank, residents say

Thailand-Cambodia border tensions escalate days after a US-backed ceasefire agreement breaks down.

Bangkok

Thailand-Cambodia tensions escalate as truce hangs in the balance

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is one step closer to the full release of the Justice Department's documents on Jeffrey Epstein after securing the final signature needed to force a House vote. Scott MacFarlane reports.

See The Full Story

Climate Crisis