Thwaites Glacier

Scientists identify new ‘tipping point’ of Antarctic ice sheet, potentially underestimating future sea level rise

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Icebergs in Antarctica on February 8, 2024. A slew of research has looked at the vulnerability of this vast continent to the impacts of the climate crisis. - Sebnem Coskun/Anadolu/Getty Images

The Antarctic ice sheet is melting in a new, worrying way that scientific models used to project future sea level rise have not taken into account. This suggests that current projections could significantly underestimate the problem, according to a new study. Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey found that warm ocean water seeps under the … Read more

Ocean water flows for miles under the ‘Doomsday Glacier’, potentially causing serious consequences for sea level rise

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A view of the tidal motion at Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica, recorded by Finland’s ICEYE commercial satellite mission, based on images acquired on May 11, 12 and 13, 2023. - Eric Rignot/UC Irvine

Ocean water is pushing miles beneath Antarctica’s “Doomsday Glacier,” making it more vulnerable to melting than previously thought, according to new research that used radar data from space to create an X-ray of the crucial glacier. As the salty, relatively warm ocean water meets the ice, it causes a “powerful melt” under the glacier and … Read more