![]() “Despite being far away, the poles and their changes have and will control the climate on our planet, and hence our own society,” says climate scientist Marco Tedesco of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia University’s Climate School. If Thwaites Glacier, and other critical neighboring glaciers such as Pine Island Glacier, cannot hold back the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, which holds the equivalent of 3.3 meters (10.8 feet) in sea level, then it could affect coastlines across the world. If the entire glacier were to melt then global sea levels would rise by 65 centimeters, or about two feet. “It is the potential long-term effect on the rest of the grounded ice sheet that we need to consider,” explains Anne Le Brocq, a senior lecturer in physical geography at the University of Exeter. The nickname ‘Antarctica’s doomsday glacier’ is given to Thwaites because if the ice shelf collapses, the glacier and the enormous volumes of ice upstream that funnel into the glacier will no longer be restrained from accelerating into the ocean. Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf is losing its grip on its pinning point, with great implications for the ice currently held directly behind it. However, new data from GPS stations positioned on the ice shelf indicate that ice is beginning to route itself around the mountain, which will cause it to fracture and break apart quicker. The fractures are likely to extend to meet with areas of weak ice, which would initiate further rifting of crevasses in a “zig-zag” pattern, as mapped by the scientists, ultimately leading to the complete breakup of the ice shelf.Īt present, the eastern sector of Thwaites Ice Shelf flows at about one-third the speed of the western sector, because its ice is held in place by contact with an offshore underwater mountain, termed a ‘pinning point,’ which restricts the flow in this region. At Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf, there were no obvious crevasses at the surface, but radar techniques used to penetrate to the ground revealed a zone of thin ice marked by crevasses at the glacier base, which critically weakens this part of the ice shelf. Source: Screenshot from AGU presentationįractures that span more than 40 kilometers across nearly the entire ice shelf are the most pertinent sign of impending collapse. Lead researcher Erin Pettit explains the main drivers for the rapid collapse of the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf. Researchers have already observed dramatic changes to the glacier, including a doubling of its speed in the past three decades, but scientists are warning the worst is yet to come. Meltwater from Thwaites alone is responsible for 4% of global sea level rise, leading it to receive a great deal of scientific attention in recent years. ![]() Thwaites Glacier is one the largest Antarctic glaciers, comparable to the size of Great Britain or Florida. Up until now the floating section at the outlet of Thwaites Glacier into the ocean, called the ice shelf, has been relatively stable, but the scientists say it could “shatter like a car windscreen.” The research, led by Erin Pettit of Oregon State University, predicts that the Thwaites ice shelf will break apart within the next decade because of startling increases in surface fractures and rifts. According to the BAS in the same statement, there is "no evidence that climate change has played a significant role" in this specific event.Scientists, speaking at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in New Orleans this month, reported that a critical section of the keystone Antarctic glacier, Thwaites Glacier, will likely collapse in the next five to ten years. The Brunt Ice Shelf, which typically flows west at about 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) per year, routinely experiences calving events. The team working at the BAS Halley Research Station say that the station is unlikely to be affected by the recent calving event, according to the same BAS statement. Ice calving, or iceberg or glacier calving, occurs when large pieces of ice break off of a glacier. These scientists have been expecting a large "calving event" for at least a decade, according to the BAS. (Image credit: British Antarctic Survey)įor years, glaciologists have monitored the cracks that have formed in the Brunt Ice Shelf, a large floating slab of ice 492 feet (150 meters) thick located on Antarctica's northern rim and the site of the British Antarctic Survey's (BAS) Halley Research Station. A map shows the Halley VI research station in relation to the north rift crack.
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