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Thwaites Glacier

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Thwaites Glacier is melting faster than previous estimates and could raise sea levels twice as much by 2100

A new study in Nature Communications found that the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica could contribute up to 30 mm to global sea level rise by 2100 — twice the previous estimate of 15 mm. The cause is 'tidal pumping': warm water penetrates beneath the ice. There is about a 60% probability that by 2100 the glacier will detach from the restraining Mugins Ridge, possibly as early as the late 2030s.

2 min read

Thwaites Glacier will keep melting even if oceans cool, scientists find

A British Antarctic Survey study showed that the 'Doomsday Glacier' in West Antarctica will lose ice for at least 150 years even with oceanic melting switched off in models. A full collapse of the ice sheet would add about 65 cm to sea level. The neighbouring Pine Island Glacier, by contrast, would recover under similar conditions.

3 min read