The project TARSAN (Thwaites-Amundsen Regional Survey and Network Integrating Atmosphere-Ice-Ocean Processes) is a ship-based project studying how processes in the atmosphere and ocean influence the stability and behaviour of the Thwaites Glacier and the neighbouring Dotson Ice Shelves.

The project includes sensors on the shelf ice that provide daily observations of oceanic, glaciological and atmospheric conditions. It gives a picture of how the shelf ice reacts. Measurements are also are made in the ocean on the continental shelf and in the cavities under the shelf ice. That is done with the help of gliders, ship-based surveys, and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV). The Swedish Ran, which the University of Gothenburg owns, has a prominent role here. The data gathered will be supported by observations from CTD measurements.

The expedition is part of the US-British collaboration International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration ‒ a five-year research program to understand how the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica may contribute to the global rise in sea level.