Antarctic's 'Doomsday Glacier' Is Melting Half A Mile Every Year Due To Warm Water: Scientists
The Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica is melting much faster than initially thought. The melting is due to the presence of warm, high-pressure seawater.
The Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica, also known as the "Doomsday Glacier," is melting much faster than initially thought, new studies have revealed. Scientists found that the Thwaites Glacier is undergoing "vigorous melting" due to the presence of warm, high-pressure seawater intruding beneath it.
Visible evidence of warm water
The findings of the study carried out by the University of California, Irvine, were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers used radar data from space to perform an X-ray of the crucial glacier and found, for the first time, visible evidence showing warm seawater pumping underneath the giant sheet of ice.
Also read: Earth's Inner Heat And Climate Change Melting Doomsday Glacier
EARTH.COM
¡°Thwaites is the most unstable place in the Antarctic and contains the equivalent of 60 centimeters (2 feet) of sea-level rise," said study co-author Christine Dow of the University of Waterloo in Ontario. "The worry is that we are underestimating the speed at which the glacier is changing, which would be devastating for coastal communities around the world."
What is Doomsday Glacier
The Thwaites Glacier, part of the vast West Antarctic Ice Sheet, is one of the world's fastest-changing and most unstable glaciers. At 74,000 square miles, it's roughly the size of the US state of Florida. It is often described as the Doomsday Glacier due to its catastrophic potential to increase sea levels as it melts.
Also read: Doomsday Glacier As Big As UK May Melt Faster In Antarctica
EARTH.COM
Significance of Thwaites Glacier
Thwaites, which already contributes 4% to global sea level rise, holds enough ice to raise sea levels by more than 2 feet. However, because it also acts as a natural dam to the surrounding ice in West Antarctica, scientists have estimated that its complete collapse could ultimately lead to around 10 feet of sea level rise, affecting millions of people living in coastal areas across the world.
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