The 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) took place from 6 to 18 November 2022. Measures to reduce global pollution and reverse global warming will be discussed in all editions of the conference.
The latter is a worldwide event that raises the planet’s average temperature annually. In this way, it generates multiple environmental disasters that threaten the survival of the human species.
One of the effects of global warming is the melting of the polar ice caps, causing sea levels to rise exponentially and endangering thousands of lives on the world’s coasts.
Sea level rise can lead to the disappearance of several islands and pose a great risk to coastal cities which, like islands, can disappear completely from the map.
While it may seem like an exaggeration to think that islands and cities will suffer from flooding, it is a reality and a concern for many scientists. Mainly by those studying the glacier ThwaitesKnown by many as the “Doomsday Glacier”.
State of the ‘Doomsday Glacier’
For those unfamiliar, Thwaites Glacier is located in West Antarctica and is the size of the state of São Paulo. For many years, scientists have monitored the glacier’s melting progress given the destructive force that its melting can cause.
According to the latest data, made available in two surveys in the virtual journal Nature, the glacier is now responsible for 4% of annual sea level rise. When it separates completely from the Antarctic continent, it will increase Sea level to 64cm.
Though it may seem little, remember that this means more than half a meter of water, enough to inundate several islands around the world as well as many coastal cities.
According to research on the glacier, melting is between 2m and 5m per year, which has been shown to be lower than in recent decades, possibly due to United Nations (UN) efforts to slow global warming. . .
Although melting has been slightly delayed, it has not stopped and is occurring at fragile parts of the glacier, which could still cause the detachment.
According to a note from Professor Britney Schmidt, one of the people in charge of the research:
“This new way of looking at glaciers allows us to understand that it’s not just about how much meltwater takes place, but also how and where it happens.
We see crevasses and probably terraces in warming glaciers like Thwaites. Warm water seeps into the crevasses, helping to erode the glacier at its weakest points.”