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'Doomsday Glacier' Could Contribute Twice as Much to Sea-Level Rise by 2100, Scientists Warn
Researchers say a wider grounding zone lets warm seawater melt the glacier from below, raising coastal flooding risk and doubling earlier century-end projections.
- On Monday, October 12, 2026, UC Irvine and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory researchers published a Nature Communications study projecting Thwaites Glacier could contribute up to 1.2 inches of global sea-level rise by 2100, doubling previous estimates.
- Researchers updated their ice-sheet model to incorporate a kilometers-wide 'grounding zone' where seawater flushes beneath the ice. This 'tidal pumping' process allows warm ocean water to penetrate deep under the glacier, causing more vigorous melting than traditional models predicted.
- Computer simulations indicate a 60% probability that Thwaites will detach from the Mouginot Ridge by 2100. Once unpinned, the glacier will likely retreat across a retrograde seafloor toward the South Ridge, accelerating ice loss.
- Eric Rignot, a professor of Earth system science at UC Irvine, warned the findings predict greater coastal flooding risks than anticipated. The 'Doomsday Glacier' nickname highlights the potential catastrophe if the glacier collapses entirely.
- Scientists plan to deploy instruments at Thwaites in 2028 to document grounding-zone processes directly, as experts caution that further observational data remains essential to confirm ice-loss predictions.
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·Stockholm, Sweden
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Total News Sources137
Leaning Left9Leaning Right16Center50Last UpdatedBias Distribution67% Center
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources are Center
67% Center
12%
C 67%
R 21%
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