US EditionUnderwater ‘storms’ are eating away at the Doomsday Glacier. It could have big impacts on sea level rise
Researchers found underwater eddies caused 20% of ice melting at Thwaites and Pine Island glaciers over nine months, highlighting a key driver of Antarctic ice loss.
- Last month, a study in Nature Geosciences found swirling underwater storms called submesoscales melt ice-shelf bases beneath Thwaites Glacier and Pine Island Glacier, causing 20% of melting over nine months.
- When warm and cold water meet, submesoscale eddies up to around 6 miles spin under ice shelves, churning warm deep water and adding fresh meltwater, fueling feedback processes described by study authors.
- Researchers used computer models and ocean instruments, combining data to analyze submesoscale eddies' impact on melting at hours-to-days timescales, using stirring and pouring-milk analogies.
- More than 2 feet of potential sea-level rise is locked in Thwaites Glacier, known as the Doomsday Glacier, and melting ice shelves threaten faster glacier flow into the ocean.
- Despite uncertainties, scientists say more observations are needed, as Antarctic ice shelves are among the least accessible places, requiring reliance on simulations and calls for future observations and field campaigns.
9 Articles
9 Articles
Underwater 'storms' are eating away at Antarctica's Doomsday Glacier
Swirling underwater storms are aggressively melting the ice shelves of two vital Antarctic glaciers, with potentially far-reaching implications for global sea level rise, a recent study has revealed.Antarctica is like a fist with a skinny thumb stuck out towards South America. Pine Island Glacier is near the base of this thumb. Thwaites — known as the Doomsday Glacier because of the devastating impact its demise would have on global sea level ri…
Underwater eddies are aggressively melting the ice shelves of two key Antarctic glaciers, with potential "far-reaching implications" for global sea-level rise, according to a recent study.
Underwater ‘storms’ are eating away at the Doomsday Glacier. It could have big impacts on global sea level rise
Swirling underwater eddies are aggressively melting two Antarctic glaciers, a recent study found, including the one that could raise sea levels by multiple feet.
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