Scientists Knew Doomsday Glacier Was Melting. They Didn’t Realize How ‘Aggressively’
Researchers say tidal pumping beneath the glacier could raise sea levels by 1.2 inches by 2100, twice earlier estimates.
- New research published Monday in Nature Communications reports Thwaites Glacier could contribute 1.2 inches to global sea level rise by 2100, doubling previous scientific estimates.
- Lead author Mattia Poinelli, a project scientist at UCLA, found that a wide "grounding zone" allows warm seawater to penetrate deep beneath the ice, replacing the previously assumed fixed grounding line model.
- Tidal pumping flushes seawater beneath the ice, accelerating the "unpinning" of ice from the underwater Mouginot Ridge and causing vigorous melting that threatens stability.
- Acting as a cork for the West Antarctica ice sheet, Thwaites holds enough water to potentially lead to around 10 feet of sea level rise if it collapses.
- Glaciologist Eric Rignot, a professor of Earth system science at UC Irvine, warns the findings "predict greater risk of and exposure for coastal flooding than anticipated in the coming decades." Researchers plan to deploy instruments in 2028 to document these processes.
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30 Articles
A recent study reveals disturbing things about what is happening beneath the glacier. The study was aided by a Finnish company's satellite radar.
The Antarctic monster accelerated its thaw by losing about 50 billion tons of ice a year. Its collapse could have an impact on entire cities.
The Thwaites Glacier is losing ice faster than previously thought, American researchers report. Their findings indicate that processes occurring between the floating part of the glacier and the part resting on the seabed are responsible. The faster melting of the Thwaites Glacier poses a significant threat to residents of coastal areas.
New study sounds alarm as Doomsday Glacier melts more aggressively than thought
According to new research by a team of glaciologists, the planet’s widest glacier is experiencing accelerated mass loss beyond their models, meaning its significant impact on global sea level...
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