Its nickname says it all: “Apocalypse” (or “Apocalypse”). An icy structure the size of the state of Florida on the West Antarctic coast, this massive glacier gets its nickname of apocalypse because it contains enough water to raise sea levels by more than a meter, a change that will have unpredictable effects on the world. . The truth is that it is already melting. And much faster than expected.

According to several studies, the Thwaites Glacier is already “claws” before it disintegrates.

Study. The research, published in Nature Geoscience and led by marine geophysicist Alastair Graham of the University of South Florida College of Marine Sciences, is alarming. For the first time, scientists have mapped a critical area of ​​the seafloor in front of the glacier in high resolution, providing a clue as to how quickly this large chunk of ice eroded and receded.

Using this geological record, the team was able to conclude that at some point in the last 200 years, the Thwaites Glacier lost contact with a ridge on the seafloor that stabilized it, causing it to retreat twice as fast. During this time, the glacier retreated at a rate of more than 2.1 kilometers per year. And experts point out that it is “possible” that it will collapse in five years.

What’s going on? Unlike other mainland-bound glaciers, Thwaites is anchored to the seafloor. This makes it even more vulnerable to warming of the waters caused by climate change. It represents at least 4% of the annual rise in sea level. While it’s unclear when this important glacier will collapse and how this transformation will affect the world’s oceans, experts call its results “existential.”

According to the UN, more than 40% of the world’s human population lives within 100 meters of the coast, which will be greatly affected by rising tides in the not-too-distant future.

disposition. This particular phenomenon contributes to an alarming trend of weakening glaciers and loss of ice sheets in Antarctica. The link between the breaking up of glaciers and human-induced climate change is striking, as is the Arctic warming four times faster. We’ve talked about this over several articles on Magnet.

However, the loss of Antarctic ice could have significant consequences. Recall that the Thwaites Glacier is one of the largest in the world and is larger than the state of Florida. But it’s also just a small part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, which contains enough ice to raise sea levels by up to 5 meters. According to NASA.

Pictures: NASA