Bleak outlook for Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier

September 23 () –

The colossal Thwaites Glacier, the widest in the world – it is 120 kilometres in diameter – and a large part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, may be lost by the 23rd century.

Thwaites Glacier is exceptionally vulnerable because its ice rests on a bed well below sea level that descends towards the heart of West Antarctica.

Using advanced technology such as underwater robots, new survey techniques, and new approaches to ice flow and fracture modeling, scientists at the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC) have gained new insights into these processes. This has improved the performance of predictive computer models, But there is still much to be understood about the future of the glacier.

Thwaites is a cornerstone of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, much of which sits on a bed below sea level. and would raise sea levels by 3.3 metres if it were to melt completely.

Thwaites Glacier spans an area equivalent to the island of Great Britain or the US state of Florida, and in places is more than 2,000 metres thick. The volume of ice flowing into the sea from Thwaites and its neighbouring glaciers has more than doubled between 1990 and 2010, and the wider region, called the Amundsen Sea Bight, represents 8% of the current rate of global sea level rise of 4.6 mm per year.

“It is worrying that the latest computer models predict continued ice loss that will accelerate during the 22nd century and could lead to widespread collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet in the 23rd century“according to Dr. Ted Scambos, ITGC’s U.S. scientific coordinator and a glaciologist at the University of Colorado.

“Immediate and sustained climate intervention will have a positive, but delayed, effect, particularly in moderating the supply of warm water from the deep ocean, which is the main driver of retreat,” he added. in a statement.

“Thwaites has been retreating for over 80 years, accelerating considerably over the past 30 years, and our findings indicate that it is destined to recede even further and faster.“, according to Dr. Rob Larter of ITGC Science Coordination and marine geophysicist at BAS (Bristish Antaractic Sea).