Researchers using icebreakers and underwater robots have discovered that Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier is experiencing an accelerated rate of melting, which could lead to irreversible collapse, with potentially dire consequences for global sea levels.
In this article we are going to be Unraveling the Thwaites Glacier seeing what scientists found under the ice and what implications it has for our planet.
Thwaites Glacier
Since 2018, a group of researchers known as the Thwaites Glacier International Collaboration has been meticulously examining the Thwaites Glacier, which It is often referred to as the "glacier at the end of the world", in order to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms and timing of its potential collapse.
The results of their research, compiled through a series of studies, provide the most comprehensive understanding to date of this intricate and dynamic glacier. According to a report, the scientists characterize the outlook as “grim” and describe the essential discoveries of their six years of research.
Research indicates that ice loss will intensify over the course of this century. Rob Larter, a marine geophysicist affiliated with the British Antarctic Survey and a member of the ITGC team, notes that Thwaites Glacier’s retreat has increased significantly over the past three decades. “Our findings indicate that retreat will be greater and faster,” he said.
Experts predict that the Thwaites Glacier and The Antarctic ice sheet could collapse within the next 200 years, with catastrophic results. The instability of the glacier and its possible collapse could be analyzed in more depth in The impact of melting Antarctica on humanity.
Thwaites holds enough water to raise sea levels by more than 60 centimetres. However, because of its role as a barrier constraining the extensive Antarctic ice sheet, its failure could potentially result in a sea level rise of around 3 metres, which would have catastrophic effects on coastal populations ranging from Miami and London to Bangladesh and the Pacific Islands.
Melting of the glacier
Researchers have been aware for a long time that Thwaites Glacier, which is comparable in size to Florida, is at risk, in part because of its geographic features. The terrain beneath it is tilted downward, resulting in greater exposure of the ice to comparatively warmer ocean water as melting occurs.
Until now, the mechanisms underlying its decline were not well understood. According to a statement by ITGC scientists, Rising sea levels are linked to the acceleration of the retreat of glaciers such as Thwaites.
In-depth study of the glacier
A torpedo-shaped robot named Icefin was sent to the Thwaites mooring line, which marks the junction where ice rises from the seafloor and floats, representing a critical point of vulnerability. Kiya Riverman, a glaciologist affiliated with the University of Portland, said the initial images of Icefin sailing toward the mooring line were uplifting. “For glaciologists, I think it had an emotional resonance similar to the moon landing for society at large,” she said during a conference. “It was a significant event. ‘We were witnessing this place for the first time.’”
Through analysis of images provided by Icefin, Researchers discovered that the glacier is melting in unexpected ways, as warm ocean water is able to navigate through deep fissures and "ladder" structures within the ice. To better understand how climate change affects these glaciers, it may be helpful to consult Glacial discharge and its impact on the global climate.
Independent research using satellite and GPS data to examine the effects of tidal movements revealed that seawater could infiltrate more than 10 kilometres beneath the Thwaites Glacier, compressing warmer water beneath the ice and speeding up the melting process.
Other scientists conducted additional research into Thwaites' history. A research team, including Julia Wellner, a professor at the University of Houston, examined marine sediment cores to reconstruct the glacier's historical behavior. Their analysis revealed that the glacier began a rapid retreat in the 1940s, likely triggered by a major El Niño event, a natural climate fluctuation commonly associated with the effects of global warming.
According to Wellner's statement, these findings "provide us with a general understanding of ice behavior, offering greater detail than would be obtained by examining contemporary ice in isolation."
Positive developments
Amid the prevailing pessimism, positive developments have emerged regarding a process that scientists fear could lead to accelerated melting. Concerns have been raised regarding the possible collapse of the Thwaites Ice Shelves, resulting in the exposure of towering ice cliffs to the ocean. These towering cliffs may become precarious and subsequently sink into the sea, revealing even higher cliffs behind them, thus initiating a repeating cycle of instability.
However, computer simulations have indicated that although this phenomenon exists, the likelihood of this occurring is lower than previously anticipated. To better understand the risks of glacier destruction and how to prevent the effects of melting, you can consult What is a cliff and its vulnerability?.
This does not mean that Thwaites Glacier is out of danger. Researchers predict that the complete dissolution of the Thwaites Glacier, along with the Antarctic ice sheet behind it, could occur by the 23rd century. Even in the hypothetical scenario in which humanity were to stop burning fossil fuels quickly, which is not the case at present, it could be too late to preserve these ice formations.
While this phase of the ITGC project is coming to a close, researchers say further research is essential to understand this intricate glacier and determine whether its retreat has become irreversible. For a deeper understanding of the effects of climate change on glaciers, it may be helpful to visit .
“While progress has been made, significant uncertainty remains about the future,” said Eric Rignot, a glaciologist affiliated with the University of California, Irvine, and a member of the ITGC. “I remain deeply concerned that this region of Antarctica is currently experiencing a state of collapse.”