Warm water has begun to weaken parts of Thwaites Glacier, dubbed the “Glacier of the Apocalypse,” and exacerbated its melting accelerated by rising temperatures, according to two studies published in Wednesday diary of nature.
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Thwaites, which is the size of Florida, could raise sea levels by nearly a meter. Its melting would destabilize other nearby glaciers, which has the potential to raise sea levels by another ten feet.
New tools have allowed researchers to explore areas of the glacier that were previously inaccessible.
While the flat surfaces beneath the glacier are holding up well to the warming waters, deep cracks and “staircase” formations underneath the ice giant are melting much faster than expected, the researchers note. These fissures cut through the pack ice and threaten the structure of the glacier.
Melting along cracks “could become the main trigger for sea ice collapse,” the study authors write.
Thwaites has lost 9 miles (14 km) of area since 1990. It contributes 4% to the annual rise in sea level.
In 2021, a study showed that sea ice could break in the next five years. Last year scientists said that global warming is forcing glacier walls to “hold on to the nails”. Its melting could accelerate in the coming years.
According to information from CNN