Melting of ‘Doomsday Glacier’ could raise sea levels by several feet, study says
(CNN) – Scientists said concern over Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier is amplifying.
The Thwaites Glacier is one of the widest on Earth, and it is larger than the state of Florida.
It’s nicknamed “Doomsday Glacier” because it continues to melt underwater as the planet warms, and it has a high risk of collapse.
If that happens, it could raise the global sea level by several feet, which could lead to widespread destruction of the coastlines.
In a study published Monday in the journal Nature Geoscience, scientists mapped the glacier’s historical retreat, hoping to predict what it might do in the future.
They found that at some point in the past two centuries, the base of the glacier retreated at twice the rate that scientists have observed in the past decade or so.
Scientists said swift disintegration suggests the Thwaites Glacier has the capability to undergo a retreat at a much faster pace than they had thought.
They believe a seabed ridge is what has been helping to recently keep it in check.
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