Scientists transmitted data through the Arctic ice using a magnetic modem

Engineers at MIT Lincoln Laboratory have tested a communications prototype in the Arctic capable of transmitting data from a device beneath the sea ice to a receiver on the surface. Instead of a conventional radio signal, the system uses magnetic fields, which are better suited to such an environment.

During the field test, the modem transmitted data through a layer of ice approximately 1.1 metres thick at a rate of around 1.2 kilobytes per second. At the same time, the team tested more sensitive sensors designed to record sounds and vibrations from the Arctic ice.

Details

The tests took place in the spring of 2026 as part of Operation Ice Camp — a US Navy Arctic exercise and research programme. The MIT Lincoln Laboratory team is working on a network of low-cost sensors that could in future be deployed across the Arctic for long-term monitoring of the ice, the ocean and the sub-ice acoustic environment.

For the communication experiment, the researchers worked in the Utqiaġvik area of Alaska. In the lagoon ice, they drilled a hole measuring approximately 0.6 by 0.9 metres through a 1.1-metre-thick layer of ice and lowered a remotely operated vehicle beneath it.

The vehicle was equipped with a transmitter from Havguard. The receiver remained on the surface. The system used magnetic induction communication: this is important because radio-frequency signals attenuate rapidly in seawater.

The researchers tracked the vehicle’s movement using a Doppler speed meter, a four-beam sonar and images from a drone. Based on this data, they estimated the vehicle’s position and transmission speed. As a result, the alpha prototype achieved a data rate of approximately 1.2 KB/s.

A separate part of the project focuses on sounds beneath the ice. Data collected as far back as 2024 included the vocalisations of marine mammals. In 2026, the team returned with a more precise geophone to better record vibrations in the ice and, in future, to distinguish between ice cracks and ‘ice quakes’ on the one hand, and biological and man-made sources of noise on the other.

Field conditions significantly hampered the trials. Due to blizzards, temperatures of around −32 °C and strong winds, the researchers were only able to deploy some of the planned sensors. The modem itself also required repairs following malfunctions in the harsh conditions.

Why this is important

Communication with sensors and robots beneath sea ice remains a challenging task: conventional wireless technologies perform poorly in salt water. A magnetic-inductive system could be one way of transmitting data from sub-ice devices without the constant presence of people on the ice.

In future, the team plans to link such sensors to drones or satellites so that data can be transmitted further out of the Arctic. The researchers also aim to develop air-droppable versions of the sensors and continue work on the modem in time for Operation Ice Camp 2028.

However, the result should not yet be regarded as a fully developed communication technology. This is an alpha prototype and a field engineering test, not a published peer-reviewed study. The speed of 1.2 KB/s was achieved under specific conditions on lagoon ice, so the system’s capabilities in other parts of the Arctic have yet to be tested.

Source

The main source is MIT News and a report by the MIT Lincoln Laboratory on the 2026 field trials. An additional source is Phys.org.