Scientists studying Antarctica’s massive Thwaites Glacier – nicknamed the Doomsday Glacier – say warmer water is seeping into its weak spots, worsening melting conditions due to rising temperatures, two papers published in the journal Nature showed Wednesday. .
Thwaites, which is roughly the size of Florida, represents more than half a meter (1.6 feet) of global sea level rise potential, and could destabilize neighboring glaciers that could lead to a further three-metre (9.8-foot) rise. may cause.
As part of the international Thwaites Glacier Collaboration – the largest field expedition ever undertaken in Antarctica – a team of 13 American and British scientists spent approximately six weeks on the glacier in late 2019 and early 2020.
Using an underwater robotic vehicle known as an icefin, mooring data and sensors, they monitored the glacier’s grounding line, where ice slides off the glacier and meets the ocean for the first time.
In a paper led by Cornell University-based scientist Brittany Schmidt, the researchers found that warm water was making its way into cracks and other vents known as terraces, causing precipitation of 30 meters (98 feet) or more per year. melts away.