‘Doomsday glacier’ near collapse – could raise sea levels

The Doomsday Glacier, or Thwaites Glacier, in Antarctica is close to collapsing, according to scientists, and risks raising sea levels dramatically.

As the climate warms, it threatens the Thwaites glacier in Antarctica. In a study published Monday in Nature Geoscience, researchers map the glacier’s historical retreat to see what the glacier’s past was like and what it is likely to do in the future. CNN writes.

Can withdraw quickly

The research shows that Thwaites can retreat quickly, once the glacier breaks free from the edge of the sea floor that helps hold it in place.

“Thwaites is really on hold and we should expect to see big changes in the future – even from year to year,” Robert Larterone of the study’s co-authors.

melts from below

Scientists have been worried about the glacier for decades because warm ocean currents could melt the glacier from below, which research from 2020 shows is already happening. Thwaites, located in West Antarctica, is one of the widest areas on Earth and the largest of the state of Florida.

Recent research mapped a huge area and showed that the glacier may be retreating at a much faster rate than previously thought.

Lead author of the study, Alistair Grahamstates that the research “was really a once-in-a-lifetime task”.

He wants to go back to Antarctica

Researchers want to return to Antarctica soon to collect seafloor samples so they can continue to determine when the glacier’s previous rapid retreats occurred. This will then help predict future changes in the Doomsday Glacier.

Read also: Antarctica is melting faster than expected [Dagens PS]