Featured Image Credit: PA
An unnerving update shared by scientists studying Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier - otherwise known as the 'Doomsday Glacier' - has revealed the impacts it could have on the environment.
With global warming increasingly becoming a more predominant topic, more science is being revealed on how to navigate this era.
Unfortunately, new findings by scientists reveal how and when the Thwaites Glacier, located in Antarctica, could collapse.
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To retrieve these findings, underwater robots were issued by researchers at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) to take new measurements of the glacier, which is the same size as Great Britain or Florida.
Concerningly, the results from the findings indicate that there is potential that much of the Thwaites Glacier and some of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet could be completely eradicated by the 23rd century.
Glaciers are important for the environment because they both store and release water throughout the year, helping to control sea levels.
However, if the Thwaites Glacier were to collapse completely, global sea levels would rise by two feet (65cm), forcing many large areas to be underwater.
For further context, the Thwaites Glacier spans across about 74.5 miles in size. In some areas, it is comparable to 2.5 times the size of the Burj Dubai being over 6,500ft thick.
With all of this, it’s not hard to see why activists like Greta Thunburg are raising awareness of the climate crisis for the future generation.
Over the years from the 1990s to the 2010s, there has been worrying evidence of glaciers melting. Previous studies even highlighted that the amount of ice that has been found drifting into sea from Thwaites and other glaciers has more than doubled over this time period.
Dr Rob Larter, a marine geophysicist at BAS, said: “There is a consensus that Thwaites Glacier retreat will accelerate sometime within the next century.
"However, there is also concern that additional processes revealed by recent studies, which are not yet well enough studied to be incorporated into large scale models, could cause retreat to accelerate sooner."
The development in technology has made it so researchers can predict the likelihood of the condition of the glaciers in the future.
Speaking on this, Dr. Ted Scambos, US science coordinator of the ITGC and glaciologist at the University of Colorado, said: "It's concerning that the latest computer models predict continuing ice loss that will accelerate through the 22nd century and could lead to a widespread collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet in the 23rd."
If this isn’t a warning to take environmental precautions more seriously, I don’t know what is.
