Ice shelves including Antarctica’s ‘Doomsday Glacier’ at risk of collapse

Scientists have for the first time, also discovered warm water underneath the Thwaites Glacier, which earned the nickname Doomsday Glacier for being Antarctica’s fastest melting glaciers. Measuring 74000 sq mi, this glacier is estimated to be the size of Florida. This discovery has raised an alarm about glacier collapse, which can lead to nearly three feet rise in the sea level. The place where the glacier is in contact with the sea has been recorded as 2 degree celsius above the freezing temperature. The significance of Thwaites lies in the fact that it slows the ice behind it from easily entering into the ocean.

It is not clear, however, to find out the rate of deterioration of the glacier. According to studies, it might fully collapse in 100 years or in a few decades. The warm water present in the grounding line hints at the possibility of a faster collapse. Reportedly, an underwater robot called Icefin made its way underneath the surface of the melting glacier and discovered the unusually warm temperature. It was a bright yellow remotely operated robot submarine that was dropped via a 2300 ft deep hole, which was drilled through the glacier.

"Ice shelves are important buffers preventing glaciers on land from flowing freely into the ocean and contributing to sea level rise," said Ella Gilbert from the University of Reading in the UK. "When they collapse, it's like a giant cork being removed from a bottle, allowing unimaginable amounts of water from glaciers to pour into the sea," Gilbert said. The researchers noted that limiting temperature rise to two degrees Celsius rather than four degrees Celsius would halve the area at risk, and potentially avoid significant sea level rise.

They noted that when melted ice accumulates on the surface of ice shelves, it can make them fracture and collapse spectacularly. Previous research has given the scientists the bigger picture in terms of predicting Antarctic ice shelf decline. However, the new study uses the latest modelling techniques to fill in the finer detail and provide more precise projections. "The findings highlight the importance of limiting global temperature increases as set out in the Paris Agreement if we are to avoid the worst consequences of climate change, including sea level rise," said Gilbert.