Thwaites Glacier : Study

News: Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is being studied by scientists who claim that warm water is leaking into its weak points and accelerating melting brought on by global warming.

 

  • West Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier, sometimes known as the “Doomsday glacier,” is a swift glacier.
  • It encompasses a territory around the size of Great Britain.
  • At its widest, it is 120 kilometres wide.
  • In reaction to climate change and modifications in ocean circulation, the glacier is shedding ice to the ocean at a rapid rate.
  • Each year, it loses more than 50 billion tonnes of ice to the ocean, raising the sea by around 4%.
  • The glacier contains enough water to add 65 cm to the height of the oceans worldwide.
  • By the late 1990s, it has receded by around 14 kilometres.
  • Moreover, it serves as a buffer, keeping the nearby glaciers from contributing more than three metres to sea level rise.