Thwaites glacier in West Antarctica is melting faster than previously thought, potentially adding 30mm to sea levels by 2100 even without further global warming.
01Summary
- 01Thwaites glacier, spanning 192,000sq km (roughly the size of Senegal), is losing 50 billion tonnes of ice per year.
- 02New research in Nature Communications found warm seawater is pushing beneath the glacier and melting its core.
- 03The study estimates Thwaites could add 1.2 inches (30mm) to sea levels by 2100, double previous projections.
- 04There is a 60% chance the glacier will unpin from the stabilizing Mouginot Ridge by the end of the century.
- 05British Antarctic Survey research indicates Thwaites will continue losing ice for at least 150 years even with extreme ocean cooling.
02Why it matters
This matters because Thwaites acts as a barrier to the West Antarctic ice sheet; if it collapses, global sea levels could rise catastrophically, submerging many coastal cities.
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