UK, US launch $27.5 mn mission to melting Antarctic glacier
British and American scientists have launched a five-year mission to assess the risk of the Thwaites glacier collapsing, already responsible for a 4% sea-level rise. The $27.5-million project is among "the most extensive examinations of an Antarctic glacier ever undertaken". One of the principal research vessels would be the RSS Sir David Attenborough, once jokingly named 'Boaty McBoatface'.