Doomsday Glacier:
Unveiling new details about Antarctica’s “Doomsday Glacier”, scientists have revealed that the Thwaites Glacier has been losing ice since the 1940s.
- Doomsday Glacier also known as the “Doomsday Glacier,” is located in the remote Amundsen Sea in West Antarctica.
- It’s a wide and fast-flowing glacier, roughly the size of Florida or Great Britain, and it has been a significant focus of scientific study due to its sensitivity to climate change.
- Satellite measurements have shown that the glacier is losing an enormous amount of ice each year, nearly 50 billion tons annually, contributing to rising global sea levels. The glacier already contributes 4% of global sea level rise.
- If the entire Thwaites Glacier were to melt, it could raise the world’s oceans by about 65 centimeters (over 2 feet).
- It also acts as a buffer, holding back neighboring glaciers that contain around three meters of potential sea level rise.
- A critical concern is that much of Thwaites sits on land that is below sea level, in a configuration known as “marine-based.”
