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Scientists undertook observations of the grounding line, where the ice first meets the ocean, beneath the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf to understand how the ice and ocean interact.

Peter Davis, an oceanographer with the British Antarctic Survey who was the lead author on one of the studies, took ocean measurements through a 600-meter deep borehole around two kilometers from the grounding line, created by a hot water drill in late 2019. These measurements were compared with melt rate observations taken at five other sites underneath the ice shelf.

\"PHOTO:
Becka Bower/Cornell University
PHOTO: Scientists work in the field at the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica.
>

Over nine months, the ocean near the grounding line became warmer and saltier but the melt rate at the ice base averaged two to five meters per year, which were less than previously modeled, researchers said.

Davis said in a statement that the results were surprising but still not good news for the state of the glacier.

\"If an ice shelf and a glacier are in balance, the ice coming off the continent will match the amount of ice being lost through melting and iceberg calving. What we have found is that despite small amounts of melting there is still rapid glacier retreat, so it seems that it doesn’t take a lot to push the glacier out of balance,\" he said in a statement.

\"PHOTO:
Becka Bower/Cornell University
PHOTO: An Icefin is seen in the water as scientists work in the field at the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica.
>

Schmidt's team of researchers used a robot called Icefin to go underwater and into the glacier through a 600-meter deep borehole created in 2019 by a research drill. The robot was able to get photos, video and other data from both the ocean floor and the underside of the glacier as it moved, according to the researchers.

\"We never had this data before so we had our best guess,\" Schmidt said. \"We now have the measurements we need to fine-tune our models.\"

Schmidt said researchers will continue to take data from the glacier and get a better sense of how bad the climate change damage will be.

\"We need those details to inspire our response as people for the change we've signed up for,\" she said.

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