Scientists knew the Doomsday Glacier was melting. They didn't realize how 'aggressively'

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🗞️ Driving the news: Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica, nicknamed the “Doomsday Glacier,” may contribute substantially more to future sea-level rise than previously estimated
• New research published in Nature Communications finds that seawater penetrates beneath the glacier through a broad, tide-driven grounding zone, accelerating melting and potentially destabilising the ice
• The findings suggest existing models may underestimate the risks to coastal communities.

🔭 The context: Thwaites is roughly the size of Florida and currently contributes around 4% of global sea-level rise
• Its ice contains enough water to raise sea levels by more than two feet if the glacier collapsed, while its role in restraining the wider West Antarctic Ice Sheet means its loss could ultimately contribute to much greater sea-level rise
• The new model incorporates tidal pumping and predicts that the glacier could lose its grip on an underwater ridge, potentially accelerating its retreat
• Researchers stress that more observations are needed to confirm how quickly these processes will unfold.

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Accelerating ice loss threatens to increase coastal flooding, erosion and damage to infrastructure and ecosystems worldwide
• Even rapid emissions cuts cannot eliminate all future sea-level rise because warming already experienced has committed the planet to further changes

⏭️ What’s next: Researchers plan to return to Thwaites in 2028 to deploy instruments beneath the glacier and directly measure seawater movement
• These observations could improve projections of ice loss and help coastal communities better prepare for rising seas

💬 One quote: “We have been aware of the impacts of climate change on our planet’s sensitive ice sheets for decades, but a mounting realization gained in recent years of what is really happening on the undersides of glaciers like Thwaites is leading to an even greater sense of alarm.” — Eric Rignot, professor of Earth system science at UC Irvine and co-author of the study

📈 One stat: 1.2 inches (about 3 cm) — the projected sea-level contribution from Thwaites Glacier by 2100 in the new model, roughly twice previous estimates, even without additional global warming, according to the study

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