At the bottom of the Earth lies the massive bowl of ice known as the West Antarctic ice sheet. This ice sheet is under threat from the relentless erosion caused by the ocean, which is slowly eating away at the glaciers that border it. When these glaciers eventually give way, the sea will begin to fill the basin, causing coastal flooding around the world.
Thwaites Glacier is a crucial barrier preventing the collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet, containing enough ice below sea level to raise global ocean levels by 60 meters. However, this enormous glacier, the size of Florida, is also one of the fastest-melting and most unstable glaciers on the planet. Recent studies have revealed that it is exposed to even more warming water than previously believed, leading to accelerated melting.
The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that warming tidal currents are penetrating Thwaites Glacier at depths of up to 3.7 miles, causing significant melting. The pulsing of tides weakens the glacier’s anchor to the seabed and allows warm water to flow underneath, hastening its destabilization.
The rate of ice loss and sea level rise due to glacier melting is a complex and challenging phenomenon to predict. Factors such as greenhouse gas emissions and temperature changes can influence the speed of glacier melting and subsequent sea level rise. Researchers emphasize the importance of limiting carbon emissions to mitigate the impacts of glacier melting and prevent the most extreme outcomes.
The ‘doomsday glacier’, Thwaites Glacier, already accounts for a significant portion of global sea level rise and loses billions of tons of ice annually. Its collapse could raise global sea levels significantly, posing a threat to low-lying coastal areas worldwide. Scientists stress the urgency of understanding and addressing the rapid melting of glaciers to prevent catastrophic sea level rise.
