Antarctica’s ‘Thwaites Glacier’ has been thawing since the 1940s
30 years earlier than originally reported in the 1970s
Billions of tons are released annually… Accounts for 4% of sea level rise
A new study has found that Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier, known as the Doomsday Glacier, began melting in the 1940s.
According to CNN on the 26th (local time), the U.S. National Academy of Sciences announced this fact by announcing the results of the study. The researchers reconstructed and analyzed the appearance of the Thwaites Glacier from 12,000 years ago to the present.
It was originally known that the Thwaites Glacier began melting in the 1970s. However, researchers analyzed sediments extracted from the seafloor of Thwaites Glacier and found that melting began in the 1940s due to a strong El Niño phenomenon.
Research results show that glaciers have not recovered since thawing began in the 1940s, suggesting that human-caused global warming has had a significant impact.
The Thwaites Glacier, which is similar in size to the entire state of Florida, already flows billions of tons of ice into the sea annually, accounting for 4% of sea level rise.
Experts believe that if the Thwaites Glacier completely melts, sea levels will rise by more than 2 feet (about 61 cm). For this reason, Thwaites Glacier is called the ‘Doomsday’ Glacier.
The danger is growing as the Thwaites Glacier also acts as a ‘cork’ that blocks other glaciers in Antarctica. If the Thwaites Glacier melts, the water it held back could overflow, raising sea levels by more than 10 feet (approximately 305 cm).
CNN said the findings are consistent with previous research showing that Pine Island Glacier, one of Antarctica’s largest glaciers, began melting in the 1940s.
Julia Welner, an associate professor of geology at the University of Houston and one of the authors of the study, said in an interview with CNN, “This study is not limited to a single glacier, but is of greater significance because it is part of the context of climate change.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.