Nature Geosciences, 5 September 2022
New mapping of the seabed in front of the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica has revealed that the glacier is capable of retreating far more rapidly than previously thought. The floating region of a glacier lifts and settles with the tide, creating a pattern of ridges along the sea floor that, over time, serves as a daily record of past glacier behavior. The ridges in front of the Thwaites glacier show that sustained pulses of rapid retreat have occurred within the last 200 years. In particular, the record shows that during one six month period, Thwaites retreated at a rate of over 2.1 km per year; double the current retreat rate of the glacier. It is possible that these extreme rates of retreat could be seen again in the near future, as rising temperatures further increase melting and cause the glacier to lose contact with stabilizing points on the sea floor. The Thwaites Glacier is West Antarctica’s second largest marine “ice stream”, a region of fast-moving ice sliding into the ocean. Its loss could lead to the collapse of large sections of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, which would raise sea levels by 3-4 meters.
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