The MV Akademik Shokalskiy is pictured stranded in ice in Antarctica, December 29, 2013. Fog and heavy snow mean the 74 passengers on the Russian ship stranded in Antarctica for over a week are likely to ring in the New Year trapped in the ice, as a rescu
The MV Akademik Shokalskiy is pictured stranded in ice in Antarctica, December 29, 2013. Fog and heavy snow mean the 74 passengers on the Russian ship stranded in Antarctica for over a week are likely to ring in the New Year trapped in the ice, as a rescue helicopter on a nearby Chinese ship waits for the weather to clear. The helicopter on board the Snow Dragon will be used after an Australian icebreaker failed to reach the trapped Akademik Shokalskiy, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said. The Russian ship left New Zealand on November 28 on a privately funded expedition to commemorate the 100th anniversary of an Antarctic journey led by famed Australian explorer Douglas Mawson. Reuters

For the first time ever, underwater robotics was used to make detailed 3D images of the Antarctic sea ice. Previously, the depth of the ice could not be measured as it was covered in a thick layer of snow. The research was published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

According to the Daily Mail, scientists would be able to investigate changes in the Antarctic region with the help of the high-resolution maps of the sea ice that were obtained from the underwater robotic vehicle. The maps have shown that the ice was thicker than what it was initially thought to be.

An autonomous underwater robotic vehicle called SeaBed was used to measure the thickness of the ice. It was measured from below, which is a new technique. The vehicle was built by engineers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts and they operated it as well. The team members also include scientists from the UK, the U.S. and Australia.

It was found that in a few areas in the polar region, the thickness was 17 metres, which was much thicker than it was measured previously with the use of other techniques. However, the team is unsure of the differences in the thickness of the sea ice measured through the old and new techniques.

A member of the research team, Dr Hanumant Singh, said that putting an autonomous underwater vehicle to map the sea ice was challenging—looking at it from the point of view of software, navigation and acoustic communication. He continued that the stability and manoeuvrability of SeaBed made it ideal for application on the Antarctic region.

According to the World Bank Group, since the world is locked into a path of unstoppable warming, it should be prepared for extreme weather. The group said a few of the effects of climate change would be unavoidable because of the emissions from power plants and factories. It also mentioned that cutting down global emissions could help in avoiding the worst impacts.

The World Bank report, titled "Turn down the Heat: Confronting the New Climate Normal," stated that above pre-industrial levels, the average temperature on Earth would be 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050. It mentioned thawing of the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica will result in the continuing rise of sea levels.