After returning to the area in 2024 to catalog changes to the ice shelf, “Ran” became lost beneath the icy waves—a huge setback for the exploration of this critically important, climate change-stressed area. Filip Stedt/University of Gothenburg A visualization of the tear-shaped areas underneath the Dotson Ice Shelf. The Ran AUV also produced high resolution maps of the underside of the Dotson Ice Shelf that revealed strange tear-drop features, icy plateaus, and detailed erosion patterns. The Dotson Ice Shelf, however, served as the perfect candidate to test the equipment and methods, . These scientific advances were made possible thanks to the unique submersible that Ran was,” Wåhlin said in a press statement.