A Grim Warning for Global Sea Levels The Secrets of the Doomsday Glacier

[Social Media]

 

Scientists probing deep beneath Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier, ominously known as the "Doomsday Glacier," have uncovered alarming signs of accelerated melting, which could trigger catastrophic sea level rise. Using advanced technology, such as ice-breaking ships and underwater robots, researchers from the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC) have revealed that the glacier may be on an irreversible path to collapse.

 

 

Since 2018, the ITGC team has been examining Thwaites closely to better predict its potential breakdown. Their comprehensive studies have painted a stark picture of the glacier’s future. In a report released Thursday, the scientists emphasized that the outlook is “grim,” detailing the results of their six-year investigation. The data suggests that rapid ice loss is set to increase significantly this century, with Thwaites' retreat accelerating over the past 30 years. Rob Larter, a marine geophysicist from the British Antarctic Survey, noted, “Our findings indicate it is set to retreat further and faster.”

 

 

The potential consequences of Thwaites’ collapse are dire. The glacier holds enough water to raise sea levels by more than two feet, but its collapse could eventually trigger an even greater rise of up to 10 feet, due to its role as a “cork” holding back the vast Antarctic ice sheet. Such a dramatic increase in sea levels would devastate coastal cities around the world, from Miami to London, as well as vulnerable regions like Bangladesh and the Pacific Islands.

 

Thwaites has long been considered at risk, in part due to its unique geographical position. The land beneath the glacier slopes downward, allowing more ice to come into contact with relatively warm ocean water as it melts. Yet, until recently, scientists knew little about the specific mechanisms driving its retreat. The ITGC emphasized that “Antarctica remains the biggest wild card for understanding and forecasting future sea level rise.”

 

Over the last six years, the team employed a variety of methods to gain clarity. One significant breakthrough came from Icefin, a torpedo-shaped robot sent to explore Thwaites’ grounding line—the critical point where the ice sheet rises from the seabed and begins to float. According to Kiya Riverman, a glaciologist from the University of Portland, the first footage of Icefin approaching this vulnerable area was profoundly moving. “For glaciologists, I think this had the emotional impact that perhaps the moon landing had on the rest of society,” she said. “It was a big deal. We were seeing this place for the first time.”

 

Through Icefin's imagery, the researchers discovered that Thwaites is melting in unexpected ways. Warm ocean water is funneled through deep cracks and “staircase” formations in the ice. Other experiments using satellite and GPS data revealed that seawater is able to penetrate more than six miles beneath the glacier, exacerbating the melting process. Further analysis of marine sediment cores by Julia Wellner, a professor at the University of Houston, shed light on Thwaites’ historical retreat, suggesting that it began retreating rapidly in the 1940s, likely triggered by a strong El Niño event. “These results teach us broadly about ice behavior, adding more detail than is available by just looking at the modern ice,” Wellner explained.

 

Despite the bleak findings, there was one piece of good news. While scientists had feared that the collapse of Thwaites’ ice shelves could expose towering cliffs of ice that would repeatedly collapse into the ocean, recent computer models suggest this scenario is less likely than previously believed. However, this does not mean the glacier is safe.

 

The researchers project that the entire Thwaites Glacier, along with the Antarctic Ice Sheet behind it, could be lost by the 23rd century. Even if global fossil fuel emissions were drastically reduced, it may already be too late to prevent its collapse. Eric Rignot, a glaciologist at the University of California, Irvine, voiced his concerns: “While progress has been made, we still have deep uncertainty about the future. I remain very worried that this sector of Antarctica is already in a state of collapse.”

Though the current phase of the ITGC project is drawing to a close, scientists acknowledge that much more research is necessary to fully understand the complexity of the Doomsday Glacier and to determine whether its retreat can be stopped.

 

Credit: CNN 2024-09-23

 

 

 

[Tug]

Way above my pay grade that being said a 10 foot rise in sea level would obviously be catastrophic + the change in salinity of the oceans……..not happy news.

[thaibeachlovers]

2 hours ago, Social Media said:

The researchers project that the entire Thwaites Glacier, along with the Antarctic Ice Sheet behind it, could be lost by the 23rd century.

The way the human race is behaving, there may not be any left by the 23rd century.

 

Perhaps we should worry less about a possible collapse of a glacier in Antarctica and more about living in peace and prosperity for all. I give that a zero chance of happening.

 

2 hours ago, Social Media said:

Even if global fossil fuel emissions were drastically reduced, it may already be too late to prevent its collapse.

So, let's see some actions to mitigate sea level rise ( just in case ), instead of just running around like Chicken Little shouting that the sky is falling.

Let's stop spending money on bombs and bullets and spend it on infrastructure instead.

[digger70]

A Grim Warning for Global Sea Levels The Secrets of the Doomsday Glacier

 

Here we go an other Panic  Attack. 

Not to worry yet.  

Was the world warmer 2000 years ago?

2000 years ago, the planet's temperature was as high or hotter than today. Why should I worry about global warming now? It was warmer in the Eocene than now.Feb 6, 2563 BE. 

How long until the world is too hot?

Earth will probably be able to sustain human life for another 3-4 billion years. The expansion of the sun as it becomes a "red giant" will at that point start rendering the earth uninhabitable, with different types of life forms dying off at different times.Aug 13, 2566 BE.

[JonnyF]

10 hours ago, Social Media said:

Though the current phase of the ITGC project is drawing to a close, scientists acknowledge that much more research is necessary to fully understand the complexity of the Doomsday Glacier

 

More research required i.e. here's another horror story to scare you into continued funding of our cushy research jobs.

 

10 hours ago, Social Media said:

 

 

and to determine whether its retreat can be stopped.

 

Well according to you, it can't be. 

 

10 hours ago, Social Media said:

researchers from the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC) have revealed that the glacier may be on an irreversible path to collapse.

 

So to conclude, please provide more money to allow us to continue our research (and funding of our doomsday cult) into the "doomsday" glacier that nothing can be done about. Climate alarmism seems like a decent gig.

[nauseus]

1 hour ago, digger70 said:

A Grim Warning for Global Sea Levels The Secrets of the Doomsday Glacier

 

Here we go an other Panic  Attack. 

Not to worry yet.  

Was the world warmer 2000 years ago?

2000 years ago, the planet's temperature was as high or hotter than today. Why should I worry about global warming now? It was warmer in the Eocene than now.Feb 6, 2563 BE. 

How long until the world is too hot?

Earth will probably be able to sustain human life for another 3-4 billion years. The expansion of the sun as it becomes a "red giant" will at that point start rendering the earth uninhabitable, with different types of life forms dying off at different times.Aug 13, 2566 BE.

 

Did you get all that in a Christmas cracker??

[parallelman]

One can also find titles such as 'Doomsday Glacier' may be more stable than initially feared' and yet another that is in middle ground, 'Thwaites Glacier won't collapse like dominoes as feared, but it doesn't mean the 'Doomsday Glacier' is stable'. The truth is that there are just too many variables to make a solid prediction. Another variable to take into account is all the hot air produced in political threads...you know, like the butterfly flapping its wings in....😄