Brief
New study finds Thwaites Glacier melting twice as fast as expected
Glaciologists say warm seawater is accelerating basal melt of the West Antarctic glacier, raising sea‑level projections.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Researchers from the University of California and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory reported on Tuesday that the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica is losing mass at a rate far faster than previously thought, according to a study published in *Nature Communications*.
The study attributes the rapid loss to warm ocean water intruding beneath the glacier and melting its core. The authors estimate that the glacier could contribute an additional 1.2 inches (30 mm) to global sea level by 2100, even if global warming does not accelerate beyond current trends.
Thwaites, often called the “Doomsday Glacier,” spans roughly 192,000 sq km – an area comparable to Senegal and larger than the U.S. state of Florida – and sits on the Walgreen Coast of Marie Byrd Land. It forms part of the larger West Antarctic Ice Sheet, which together with Pine Island Glacier acts as a buttress for the ice sheet behind it. The study notes that ice loss from Thwaites already accounts for about four percent of total global sea‑level rise.
Since 2000, the glacier has shed more than 1,000 billion tonnes of ice and continues to lose about 50 billion tonnes each year. Satellite imagery from the European Space Agency, annotated by marine geophysicist Robert Larter, shows research vessels RVIB *Nathaniel B. Palmer* and *RV Araon* operating near the Eastern Ice Shelf in 2020, an area scientists believe may break up within the next two decades.
The authors caution that while a complete collapse of Thwaites is not expected for many decades or even centuries, the accelerated basal melt could significantly raise sea levels and threaten coastal cities worldwide.
Key facts
- Thwaites Glacier could add 1.2 inches (30 mm) to sea level by 2100 (aljazeera.com)
- Warm seawater is melting the glacier's core, accelerating mass loss (aljazeera.com)
- The glacier has lost over 1,000 billion tonnes of ice since 2000 (aljazeera.com)
- Current ice loss from Thwaites accounts for about four percent of global sea‑level rise (aljazeera.com)
- Research vessels RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer and RV Araon surveyed the Eastern Ice Shelf in 2020 (aljazeera.com)
Sources
- [1] aljazeera.com — originally reported as “Senegal-sized Antarctic glacier melting faster than thought: Why it matters”
