Thwaites Glacier deteriorating faster than previously forecast

Summarised from GB News's report · Updated 15 Oct, 21:02 · Archive

Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier could add up to 30mm to global sea levels by century's end, doubling earlier estimates.

Researchers from the University of California, Irvine and Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have constructed a new ice sheet model revealing that Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier is deteriorating far more rapidly than scientists had previously calculated. The glacier, roughly the size of Great Britain, could add up to 1.2 inches (30mm) to global sea levels by the end of the century, effectively doubling earlier forecasts. Crucially, this accelerated ice loss could occur even without any additional global warming.

The glacier currently accounts for approximately four per cent of worldwide sea level rise. A complete collapse would push oceans more than two feet higher, but because Thwaites effectively acts as a plug restraining the broader Antarctic ice sheet, the ultimate consequence could be around 10 feet of rise, threatening coastal populations globally. The breakthrough behind the revised projections lies in how scientists model the boundary where ice meets ocean, with satellite observations revealing that the 'grounding zone' where ice lifts off the seabed is a broad area stretching several miles wide, rather than a thin line as previously assumed.

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• 'Doomsday Glacier' the size of Great Britain threatens UK coastlines as new study warns of rising seasAntarctica's Thwaites Glacier, widely known as the "Doomsday Glacier", is deteriorating far more rapidly than scientists had previously calculated, according to new research. A team of glaciologists from the University of California, Irvine and Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory constructed a new ice sheet model that projects the vast West Antarctic glacier could add up to 1.2 inches (30mm) to global sea levels by the end of the century, effectively doubling earlier forecasts. Crucially, this accelerated ice loss could occur even without any additional global warming. The glacier, roughly the…GB News · 15 Oct, 20:26

In this story: Thwaites Glacier · Antarctica · University of California, Irvine · Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

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