Doomsday Glacier Antarctica

2023 - 2 - 16

antarctica doomsday glacier

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Economic Times"

Doomsday Glacier may collapse sooner than expected as scientists ... (Economic Times)

A new study suggests the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica, known as the "Doomsday Glacier," may collapse sooner than expected, leading to a potential ...

The melting occurring in the glacier is complicated, and there is a reason for greater concern, according to senior climate and energy reporter In a reversal of events due to climate change, the ACC is getting faster, just as most climate models predicted. The views expressed here are that of the respective authors/ entities and do not represent the views of Economic Times (ET). Despite the alarming news, there is some optimism about the Thwaites Glacier – the data obtained from the studies show there is a reason for concern and alarm, but it also leads to additional questions and additional worries. However, this goal is not realistic as we're already at 1.2 C, and if all global pledges are met, we would go only to 2.4 C. ET hereby disclaims any and all warranties, express or implied, relating to the report and any content therein.

Antarctica's 'Doomsday Glacier' May Be More Prone to Melting Than ... (Scientific American)

Scientific American is the essential guide to the most awe-inspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our understanding of the ...

Much of the melting below the ice is happening more slowly than previous estimates have suggested. In the worst-case scenarios, enough melting can cause the ice shelves themselves to thin and eventually disintegrate. This process can push the glacier backward over the bedrock, causing it to retreat inland, pouring more ice into the ocean in the process. Ocean water is able to seep beneath ice shelves and lap up against the edge of the glacier at the grounding line, melting the ice from the bottom up. The two studies specifically report on findings from an initiative known as the MELT project, an effort to understand the way warm ocean waters are driving melting at the glacier’s grounding line. On the one hand, Thwaites may be melting more slowly than previous estimates have suggested.

'Doomsday Glacier' is 'in trouble' as new research points to fractures ... (USA TODAY)

Antarctica's Thwaites glacier, nicknamed "Doomsday Glacier," isn't melting as fast as feared – but deep fractures in ice are taking the heaviest toll.

Ice draining from Thwaites into the Amundsen Sea already accounts for about 4% of global sea-level rise. A thin layer of fresh melt water, which sits in between the bottom of the ice shelf and the ocean, slows the melting rate for flat parts of the ice shelf, researchers found. "That’s how the glacier is falling apart. "Warm water is getting into the cracks, helping wear down the glacier at its weakest points." It shatters," Schmidt told The Associated Press. [had cracks that wererapidly accelerating](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2021/12/16/antarctica-glacier-collapse-raise-sea-levels/8924940002/) – and could see the ice shelf shatter within the next five years. But "staircase" like formations and cracks see faster rates of melting, as warm water reaches glacier's most vulnerable areas. [Collapse of Florida-sized glacier may happen soon, raising sea levels and threatening coastal cities](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2021/12/16/antarctica-glacier-collapse-raise-sea-levels/8924940002/) [one of the studies](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05691-0), stated in NYU's release. [one of the Nature papers](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05586-0), said in a [New York University press release](https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2023/february/scientists-discover-new-processes-driving-retreat-of-thwaites-gl.html) following the research's publication. The melting beneath much of the ice shelf is slower than expected, but melting in crevasses and cracks is much more rapid. ["Doomsday Glacier"](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/09/06/new-antarctica-doomsday-glacier-images/7999206001/) because of its potential to drive alarming [sea level rise](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2023/01/13/noaa-nasa-release-2022-climate-change-data-disasters-temperatures/11031679002/), isn't melting at a pace as fast as feared – but deep fractures in the ice are taking the heaviest toll, according to new research.

Antarctica's 'Doomsday Glacier' is in trouble, scientists say (CBS News)

A collapse of Thwaites or any of the nearby large glaciers nearby would almost certainly cause measurable sea level rise.

What is new however, is the technology used to gather this data. Much like the changes to our beaches and shorelines, the changes in Antarctica aren't happening overnight, Dr. A collapse of Thwaites or any of the nearby large glaciers nearby would almost certainly cause measurable sea level rise. "Thwaites is in a very precarious position where it's holding back a ton of ice behind it," said Dr. Thwaites is melting faster and faster. Britney Schmidt, one of the lead scientists on this international project, described Thwaites as the canary in the coal mine.

First ever images of Antarctica's 'Doomsday glacier' show melting ... (ABC News)

Scientists studying one of the most crucial glaciers that's been deteriorating by climate change got a new look at what's going on underneath the surface.

Schmidt's team of researchers used a robot called Icefin to go underwater and into the glacier through a 600-meter deep borehole created in 2019 by a research drill. "We now have the measurements we need to fine-tune our models." What we have found is that despite small amounts of melting there is still rapid glacier retreat, so it seems that it doesn’t take a lot to push the glacier out of balance," he said in a statement. If the glacier collapses it could add 25 inches to the global sea level rise in the coming centuries, according to researchers. These measurements were compared with melt rate observations taken at five other sites underneath the ice shelf. The images showed researchers that while the glacier overall is melting slower than models projected, the warmer water underneath the ice is creating cracks and crevasses where the ice is melting much faster than the rest of the glacier.

Antarctica's “Doomsday Glacier” Headed for Collapse, Portending ... (Democracy Now!)

Researchers deployed a robotic submarine to penetrate the vast ice sheet, which is roughly the size of Florida. They found the glacier is susceptible to rapid ...

Democracy Now! This month Democracy Now! Since our very first broadcast in 1996, Democracy Now!

Antarctica's 'Doomsday Glacier' in trouble as scientists make ... (The Independent)

It suggests that while melting beneath much of the ice shelf is weaker than expected, melting in cracks and crevasses is much faster.

A layer of fresher water between the bottom of the ice shelf and the underlying ocean slows the rate of melting along flat parts of the ice shelf. Observations from where the ice enters the ocean show that while melting beneath much of the ice shelf is weaker than expected, melting in cracks and crevasses is much faster. It suggests that while melting beneath much of the ice shelf is weaker than expected, melting in cracks and crevasses is much faster

Warm water melts weak spots on Antarctica's 'Doomsday Glacier' (The Hindu)

Thwaites, which is roughly the size of Florida, represents more than half a meter (1.6 feet) of global sea level rise potential.

He reviewed the papers, but was not involved in the research. Scientists have previously depended on satellite images to show the behaviour of the ice, making it difficult to get granular details. and British scientists spent about six weeks on the glacier in late 2019 and early 2020. The papers represent the first time a team has been to the grounding line of a major glacier, providing a look right where "the action begins," Schmidt said. "If we observe less melting... "Warm water is getting into the weakest parts of the glacier and making it worse," Schmidt told Reuters.

Doomsday Glacier Antarctica

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