‘Oh my God, what is that?’: how the maelstrom under Greenland’s glaciers could slow future sea level rise

Kangerlussuup glacier on the west coast of Greenland is 5km wide at its terminus and its face rises 60m above the water Photograph: Courtesy of University of Texas

There are stadium-sized blocks of ice crashing from the soaring face of the Kangerlussuup glacier in western Greenland. Fierce underwater currents of meltwater are shooting out from its base and visibility below the surface is virtually zero thanks to a torrent of suspended mud and sand. It’s little wonder scientists have never explored this maelstrom.

Yet today, they are sending in a multimillion-dollar remotely operated submarine, potentially to its death. As the scientists onboard the Celtic Explorer research ship repeatedly say: “It’s a high risk, high reward mission.”