--- title: "Scientists Scramble to Set Up Outpost on Rapidly Melting Glacier" description: "Braving poor visibility, high winds, and frigid temperatures, a team of researchers has finally established a foothold on Antarctica's fastest melting glacier." date: "2026-01-28" modified: "2026-01-28" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/science-energy/scientists-glacier-drilling" categories: - "Climate Change" - "Environment" - "Global Warming" - "Science & Energy" --- # Scientists Scramble to Set Up Outpost on Rapidly Melting Glacier ![Polar researchers hoping to drill half a mile into the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica have established a base camp on the surface.]() *Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Getty Images* Braving poor visibility, high winds, and frigid temperatures, a team of researchers has finally established a foothold on Antarctica's fastest melting glacier. According [to the *New York Times*]() — which [embedded with the polar expedition]() — 10 drilling personnel and roughly 17 tons of gear have been safely deposited on top of the Thwaites Glacier on Monday. Their goal is to plant scientific instruments into the rapidly-melting berg over the next few days, in order to observe, and hopefully better understand, its faster-than-expected disintegration. During a rare [break in the weather](), the *NYT* says helicopters airlifted the researchers and their equipment 19 miles to their planned outpost site on top of the glacier. The two helicopters involved flew a dozen total loads of cargo from the icebreaker ship to the camp site, while glacial scientists and engineers erected a small tent city, complete with bathrooms, generators, and a mess hall. The stakes are high. At worst, experts fear that the destruction of the Thwaites — evocatively known among scientists as the "Doomsday Glacier" — could have [catastrophic effects]() on sea levels and coast lines around the world. The camp is rudimentary: the bathrooms are described as simple outhouses drilled into the snow, while the dining tent boasts a basic air fryer and bread machine. Most food consists of "low-effort meals," the *NYT* explains, like freeze-dried fajita bowls and premade soup that can be warmed up. Still, the team also has a cooler full of frozen meat and veggies, which had to be buried within the snow. Because the ship that carried the team to Thwaites needs to embark on another trek in just a few weeks, the drilling team will need to vacate the glacier by February 7. Before they do, they hope to deposit monitoring equipment into the ocean water half a mile below their feet. If they're successful, scientists will be able to remotely collect temperature data on the ocean waters thought to be contributing to the thinning ice shelf. That data is important for glaciologists, who've [watched in horror]() as the Thwaites melted at a rate of two or three times faster than expected over recent years. "We're very lucky to be here; we also work very hard to be here," Scott Polfrey, a mechanical engineer at the British Antarctic Survey told the *NYT*. "It's important for everybody here that we do things safely and we come home with hopefully some hard-hitting scientific results that speak about our planet." **More on glaciers:** *[Scientists Uncover Secret Landscape Hiding Miles Below Antarctica's Ice]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()