Seawater “erodes” the “Glacier of the Apocalypse” – scientists fear

Ocean water seeps kilometers down the ‘End of the World Glacier’ South PoleThat makes it more vulnerable to melting than previously thought, according to new research that used radar data from space to capture X-rays of the critical glacier.

When relatively warm, salty ocean water meets the ice, it causes “heavy melting” under the glacier, and that could mean global warming forecasts will change. Sea level rise It is undervalued, according to the study published on Monday (5/20) in Review procedures to the National academy to Sciences.

The Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica – nicknamed the “Apocalypse Glacier” because its collapse could cause a catastrophic rise in sea levels – is the largest glacier in the world at 192,000 square kilometers (about the size of Britain or Florida in the USA). ). It is also the most vulnerable and unstable glacier in Antarctica, largely because the land slopes downward, allowing ocean water to eat up its ice.

Thwaites Island, which already contributes 4% to global sea level rise, has enough ice to raise sea levels by more than 60 cm. But because it also acts as a natural barrier to the surrounding ice in West Antarctica, scientists have estimated that its complete collapse could eventually cause sea levels to rise by about 3 meters – Which will be devastating to coastal communities around the world.

Satellite radiography

A team of glaciologists – led by scientists from the University of California, Irvine – used high-resolution radar data collected between March and June last year to create an X-ray image of the glacier. This allowed them to create an image Landline changes Thwaites, that is, at the point where the glacier emerges from the sea floor and turns into a floating ice shelf. Geolines are vital to the stability of glaciers and a major weakness for the Thwaites, but they are difficult to study.

Scientists observed that seawater seeps under the glacier for several kilometers and then retreats again, following the daily rhythm of the tides. When water flows, it’s enough to “raise” the glacier’s surface by centimeters, Eric Rignot, a professor of Earth systems science at the University of California, Irvine and co-author of the study, told CNNi.

Ice melting

The speed of seawater, which moves large distances in a short period of time, increases the melting of glaciers because once the ice melts, fresh water is washed away and replaced by warmer seawater, Reno said.

He added: “This process of large-scale and widespread seawater intrusion will increase the expected sea level rise of Antarctica.”

With information from: Ocean water rushes miles under ‘Doomsday Glacier’ with potential dire effects on sea level rise By Laura Baddison, CNN