‘Doomsday’ glacier would be left without an anchor, raising sea levels by about 25 metres
The effects of climate change are continuing to wreak havoc on the planet as one of Antarctica’s major ice shelves edges closer to a breaking point.
An integral ice shelf that holds a critical glacier is at risk of encountering numerous fractures within the next five years.
Scientists attending the American Geophysical Union meeting warned that the breakage will take a “zig-zag” route through the ice, fragmenting it into smaller pieces.
The Thwaites Glacier is larger than the size of England and contributes approximately four per cent to global sea level rise yearly.
If predictions come to fruition sea levels could rise by about 25 per cent as increasing ocean temperatures continue to dissolve the eastern ice shelf.
Science reporter at The Washington Post Sarah Kaplan says the changes are a sign of climate change.
“There are several forces acting on the ice shelf… and a big one is that this warmer, relatively warm water by Antarctic standards is eroding underneath the bottom of the ice shelf and thinning it and weakening it,” Ms Kaplan says.
The ice shelf itself is not the contributor to rising sea levels
“And then you start to see other other forces at play, including incredible stress on the shelf that is leading to the creation or the emergence of these fractures that weaken it.”
She says the ice shelf itself will not contribute to sea level rise but if it no longer fulfils its role as a “brace” for the Thwaites Glacier then the river of ice may become unstable.
“Without the ice shelf scientists fear that this portion of weights is going to flow much more quickly into the sea and sort of catch up with the rest of the glacier, which is already moving at three times the rate of the eastern portion,” Ms Kaplan says.
What can be done to prevent further global warming?
Research conducted by the European Geosciences Union has shown that increased carbon dioxide largely due to the burning of fossil fuels is closely linked to changed in temperature.
“Figuring out ways to transition our energy systems and our buildings and our transportation away from burning fossil fuels… that is going to be the thing that slows warming and ultimately slows this rapid transformation of Antarctica and will make the future less dangerous,” Ms Kaplan says.
NASA satellite data has predicted the global sea levels to rise by two to six feet by the end of this century steered by melting in Greenland and Antarctica.
