29 OCTOBER 2026 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Cold Ice Drilling Adapted from Information by the British Antarctic Survey A team of researchers from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the Korea Polar Research Institute have arrived at Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica, one of the largest and fastest changing glaciers in the world. Also known as the Doomsday Glacier, it is around the size of Florida. If the glacier were to collapse, global sea levels could rise by about 26 inches. Despite the importance of the glacier, little is known about the processes melting the ice from underneath. Over a period of two weeks, the team will use a hot water drill to bore through the ice and install instruments to send back the first real-time data from this crucial location. With more than five decades of expertise, BAS researchers and engineers have developed technology to drill through more than 6500 feet of ice. This would be the first time hot water drilling has taken place on the main trunk of the ice shelf. The team will drill around 3280 feet through the ice, just downstream of where the glacier lifts off the seabed to become a floating ice shelf. The area is the most vulnerable point of the glacier, where the warmest ocean water flows under the glacier and melts it from below, it’s also heavily crevassed and fast moving, making research here incredibly challenging. Hot water drilling involves heating water to approximately 194°F (90ºC) and pumping it at high pressure through a hose to melt the ice. This creates roughly a one-foot-diameter hole, with the hot water melting up to three feet of ice each minute. Once drilled, the hole refreezes within one or two days, so the drill is used periodically to keep it open. Once the hole is made, they will lower instruments down to collect the first long-term direct measurements of ocean temperature and currents at this location. The researchers will also collect sediment samples and water samples to learn more about the glacier’s history, and what is happening at present. Drilling through the ice allows scientists to collect data about the ocean and seabed beneath floating ice shelves, and the bedrock under grounded ice. This information is vital for understanding how glaciers like Thwaites are contributing to sea level rise. 46th Annual UGWA Conference & Expo January 6-8, 2027 Wednesday, January 6th 10:00am Shotgun Start Golf Tournament - CasaBlanca Golf Club 6:00pm - 9:00pm Vendor Setup (closed to attendees) Thursday, January 7th 8:00am - 11:30am Skeet Shoot 8:00am - 11:30am Vendor Setup (closed to attendees) 12:00pm Registration and Vendor Display Open 1:30pm Welcome and Announcements 1:35pm - 4:00pm CEU Classes 4:30pm Vendor Social 5:30pm Banquet and Scholarship Auction Friday, January 8th 7:00am Breakfast / Vendor Visits 8:00am - 11:15am CEU Classes 11:15am General Membership Meeting & Board Elections 12:00pm Lunch and Raffle Drawings 1:00pm CEU Class 2:00pm Vendor Visits Drawing - Conference Adjourned CasaBlanca Resort, Casino, Golf & Spa - Mesquite, Nevada 435-233-6006 utahgroundwater.org
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