The expedition to Thwaites is part of the race to discover how fast the massive glacier is melting and what that will mean for global sea level rise over the next century. Reading level: orange. The ice melt draining from Thwaites into the Amundsen Sea already accounts for 4 … Glaciers are huge sheets of ice moving very slowly, and contain vast amounts of … Scientists have found the giant Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is melting from the inside and believe they now know why. Thwaites Glacier alone holds enough ice above sea level to raise sea levels by more than 65cm if it was to melt. This is the last in a series, Into the Thaw: Decoding Thwaites Glacier. The Thwaites glacier is 74,000 square miles, roughly the size of the UK. Without buttressing glaciers, the WAIS could send an additional 3 meters (10 feet) of melt water into the oceans over the next two centuries, doubling the current estimates. The team, dubbed MELT, or Melting at Thwaites grounding zone and its control on sea level, spent the last two months in -30C weather at the glacier for the project. Antarctica's colossal Thwaites Glacier is melting fast -- and scientists may have discovered why By Emma Reynolds, CNN Updated 1619 GMT (0019 HKT) September 9, 2020 The much larger Thwaites glacier might require a 300-meter-high wall extending for 50 or more kilometers. The growing cavity sits in West Antarctica at the bottom of Thwaites Glacier, which is about as big as Florida and contains enough ice to contribute more than 2 feet to sea level rise, NASA said. Even now, ice draining from Thwaites Glacier into the Amundsen Sea accounts for about 4% of global sea-level rise – but scientists fear it could collapse. It's a little smaller than Britain, so it's absolutely massive. Thwaites Glacier covers around 74,000 square miles and is particularly susceptible to climate and ocean changes. Scientists race against time to find out. Program News; Events; Blogs; For the Media; Education; Resources . Scientists’ ultimate goal is to develop more accurate global sea level rise models so coastal residents and governments have enough time to plan for future changes. The MELT project scientists flew out to the Thwaites Glacier a few weeks ago and are now camped out on its eastern ice tongue. Thwaites Glacier, also known as the "doomsday glacier", is reported to be melting quicker than previously thought - scientists are now trying to find out why. It is a phenomenon that is accelerating. A ROGUE glacier dubbed "the world's most dangerous" risks melting away completely – sparking a catastrophic global sea level rise. At the other pole the Greenland ice sheet had a record-breaking 2019, shedding the most ice since 1948 -- … Scientists may just have identified Thwaites Glacier's Achilles heel. Glaciers appear on almost every continent. The Thwaites Glacier is...a glacier. Roughly the size of Florida, Thwaites' melting is currently responsible for about 4 percent of global sea level rise, according to NASA in its recent study on the glacier's giant hole. The melting of the Thwaites and Pine Island Glaciers already account for about 5% of global sea-level rise. The so-called Thwaites 'doomsday glacier' in Western Antarctica is the size of Britain and is known to be melting at an alarming rate. Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier is … Since the 1980s, the Thwaites glacier, a part of the West Antarctic ice sheet, has lost an estimated 54 billion tons of ice. Any wonder then that Thwaites is also known as the Doomsday glacier. Such increases threaten flooding in coastal cities around the world, including the East Coast of the United States. And it's melting very quickly, which is a huge concern to scientists. However, they are rapidly melting due to the warming climate. Picture: AFP. A massive one that poses such risk it's been branded the 'Doomsday Glacier". New maps show how warm water may reach Thwaites Glacier’s icy underbelly More and deeper than expected channels could speed the glacier’s melting from below Thwaites Glacier), sometimes referred to as the Doomsday Glacier, is an unusually broad and vast Antarctic glacier flowing into the Pine Island Bay, part of the Amundsen Sea, east of Mount Murphy, on the Walgreen Coast of Marie Byrd Land Its surface speeds exceed 2 kilometres per year (1.2 miles per year) near its grounding line. Part 1: Is Thwaites Glacier doomed? Photograph: AFP/Getty Jonathan Watts Global environment editor The Thwaites Glacier is...a glacier. Would such walls really stop the ice from melting… MELT; PROPHET; TARSAN; THOR; TIME; SCO; Projects Overview; International Partners; News & Events . Thwaites Glacier is said to be 'the most vulnerable place in Antarctica' and is melting from below because of warm water currents. A massive one that poses such risk it's been branded the 'Doomsday Glacier". Thwaites is the most worrying glacier in Antarctica because of its size — it is unusually wide, presenting a 75-mile front of ice to the ocean, without any rocks or mountains to hem it in. The Thwaites Glacier also slows the melting of other glaciers, which could raise sea levels an additional 8 feet if they melted. Thwaites glacier is already responsible for about 4% of the global sea level rise, as the ice slips off the land and into the sea. environment. Channels of warm ocean water melting the ice from below threaten the stability of Thwaites glacier in western Antarctica. However, melting ice on land, on glaciers on Greenland and Antarctica, does raise sea levels. If it collapses it could raise sea levels about 65cm as it melts, and could also trigger a runaway collapse across the western half of Antarctica that could lead to a sea level rise of up to 6ft, scientists told the Financial Times . Thwaites Glacier is melting fast, and scientists fear its collapse could one day destabilize surrounding glaciers and eventually trigger up to 11 feet of global sea level rise. Thwaites glacier, on the west of Antarctica, is a remote place, around 1000 miles from US and UK research stations. Thwaites Glacier and the surrounding coastal region alone could raise sea levels by half a meter (1.6 feet) within 100 years. Thwaites Glacier's melting is nearing a 'tipping point' and could trigger an unstoppable 20-inch rise in global sea levels, warns new research. Glaciers are huge sheets of ice moving very slowly, and contain vast amounts of water. Thwaites glacier: Canyon-sized cavities helping melt 'Doomsday Glacier' from inside out A GLACIER bigger than Britain and known as the 'Doomsday Glacier' is melting … To be melting at an alarming rate the Thaw: Decoding Thwaites.... Away completely – sparking a catastrophic global sea level to raise sea levels global sea level raise... 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