Sea level rise forecasts may change as a result of the "vigorous ice melt" occurring on the doomsday glacier.

 

Scientists claim that the large "doomsday glacier," which is renowned for its quick disintegration, is experiencing a "vigorous ice melt" that could change their estimates of sea level rise.

In a recent study, glaciologists at the University of California, Irvine discovered that Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica is more susceptible to melting than previously believed because warm, high-pressure ocean water is seeping beneath it. The glacier is the widest on Earth, measuring almost 80 miles across. The International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration claims that the glacier is so densely packed with ice that, in the event of its total collapse, sea levels might rise more than two feet worldwide, earning it the nickname "Doomsday Glacier."

 The results were applied to data that scientists collected between March and June of last year, and they were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Lead author and UC Irvine professor Eric Rignot noted that prior to this, it was challenging to "figure out what was happening" due to sparse, incomplete data. But they could see what was going on more clearly than ever before thanks to satellites.

"We see the seawater coming in at high tide and receding and sometimes going farther up underneath the glacier and getting trapped," said Rignot.
By striking the glacier at the foot of its ice sheet, the sea water is "creating enough pressure to elevate the ice sheet," according to Rignot. The water then flows via conduits and collects in cavities.

"There are places where the water is almost at the pressure of the overlying ice, so just a little more pressure is needed to push up the ice," he stated. "The water is then squeezed enough to jack up a column of more than half a mile of ice."

Ocean currents are bringing warmer, saltier water with a lower freezing point to Antarctica's coasts as a result of the world's temperatures continuing to rise. It is this variation in water that has caused what scientists refer to as a strong melt.
According to co-author Christine Dow of the study, "Thwaites is the most unstable place in the Antarctic," with an estimated sea level rise of 60 centimeters, or around 23.6 inches. "The worry is that we are underestimating the speed that the glacier is changing, which would be devastating for coastal communities around the world."

Although Dow stated that there isn't enough data to determine the exact amount of time until the saltwater intrusion becomes "irreversible," the researchers are hoping that the additional data would enhance current models and enable them to make more accurate forecasts "for decades versus centuries."

"This work will help people adapt to changing ocean levels, along with focusing on reducing carbon emissions to prevent the worst-case scenario."