A massive ice sheet, ominously dubbed the ‘Doomsday Glacier’ for its potential catastrophic consequences on human civilization, is teetering on the brink of collapse.
Recent years have witnessed the emergence of fractures in the ice shelf of Thwaite’s Glacier in Antarctica, sparking concerns among scientists about an ‘accelerated destabilization.’ A new study has revealed that hidden storm-like structures beneath the glacier are exacerbating its decline by drawing in warm sea currents, leading to the melting of the ice sheet above and the formation of fractures. This process sets off a detrimental cycle of turbulence, causing further harm to the glacier.
Researchers, in a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience, highlighted that these underwater storms are responsible for the alterations observed in Thwaite’s Glacier, which has shed more than 600 billion tonnes of ice since the 1980s.
Experts caution that this phenomenon is likely to occur in other parts of Antarctica as global ocean temperatures rise. Mattia Poinelli, the lead author and a glaciologist at the University of California, Irvine, emphasized to climate organization Grist that with increasing warm water and melting, similar effects could be witnessed across various regions of Antarctica in the future.
Describing the vortices as resembling storms with intense energy and turbulent motion near the surface, Poinelli warned of their destructive potential.
Thwaites Glacier, situated in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, spans approximately 75 miles in width and covers an area of around 74,000 square miles, akin in size to mainland Britain or the U.S. state of Florida. Termed “the Doomsday Glacier” by climate experts, its collapse would lead to a significant rise in global sea levels.
If Thwaites Glacier disintegrates and melts into the surrounding ocean, sea levels could surge by one to two meters (three to six feet), endangering major cities such as London, New York, Amsterdam, Bangkok, and Mumbai, which are home to millions of people. Additionally, low-lying islands like the Maldives, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Polynesia, and Micronesia would face submersion.
With satellite data indicating an escalating rate of fractures within the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf since the early 2000s, scientists have cautioned that the ice shelf beneath the glacier could collapse within the next decade.
In a proposal last year, glaciologist John Moore from Lapland University suggested the installation of a physical barrier on the seafloor to shield the glacier from warm ocean waters. However, this idea faced criticism from over 40 researchers who advocated for prioritizing efforts to curb carbon emissions and mitigate global warming instead.