New maps collected under the floating tongue of Thwaites Glacier and further offshore reveal deep (> 1000 m) and wide (> 20,000 m) channels that guide warm ocean water under the ice, accelerating melt that eventually may lead to collapse. Thwaites, part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) is the size of Great Britain, and responsible for 55% of the yearly mass loss from the WAIS since 1992. These channels exert a fundamental control on warm water routing, on the stability of the glacier, and on the rest of the WAIS. A collapse of this single glacier would eventually lead to more than 65 cm of global sea level rise.
https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/14/2869/2020/
https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/14/2883/2020/
Compiled by Amy Imdieke
By Amy Imdieke, Global Outreach Director, and Pam Pearson, Director of ICCI.
Published Sep. 11, 2020 Updated Jul. 12, 2022 3:21 pm
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