At the rhythm of the tides, the Thwaites Glacier (Antarctica) is being attacked by warm seawaters. It is now melting in a “vigorous” manner, assert researchers. Its collapse would be devastating for coastal communities worldwide, hence its famous nickname “glacier of the end of the world.”
In Antarctica, there is a glacier unlike any other. The Thwaites Glacier, known as the “glacier of the end of the world” or “glacier of the apocalypse.” This is because its meltingmelting has the potential to significantly raise sea levels worldwide. It serves as a natural barrier preventing surrounding ice from sliding into the ocean. Its collapsecollapse could cause the oceans to rise by over three meters!
Tides Dramatically Melt the Thwaites Glacier
Researchers have known that the Thwaites Glacier has been melting rapidly since the 1980s. Today, high-resolution radar measurements collected between March and June 2023 reveal that “warm” seawater at high pressurepressure is infiltrating down to its base. This provokes a more “vigorous” melting of the glacier of the end of the world than glaciologists had previously imagined.
In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from the University of California, Irvine (USA) describe how their images from Finnish satellites (Iceye) show that daily tides send warm seawater several kilometers into the Thwaites Glacier. This leads to melting of ice from below and, in turn, causes freshwater to flow back into the ocean.
How Long Until the Collapse of the Glacier of the End of the World?
“So far, some of nature’s most dynamic processes have been impossible to observe with enough detail or frequency to allow us to understand them,” notes Michael Wollersheim, director of Iceye’s analyses, in a press release from the University of California. With centimeter-level precision and daily frequency, researchers now know more about the melting of the glacier of the end of the world. However, they still lack enough information to estimate how long remains before the seawater intrusion becomes irreversible and triggers the collapse of the Thwaites Glacier. A collapse that spells disaster for coastal communities worldwide.