A massive ice sheet, ominously dubbed the ‘Doomsday Glacier’ for its potential catastrophic impact on human civilization, is teetering on the brink of collapse. Recent years have seen cracks appearing in the ice shelf of Thwaite’s Glacier in Antarctica, leading to what scientists describe as ‘accelerated destabilization.’ A new study indicates that hidden storm-like formations beneath the glacier’s surface may be hastening its decline.
Researchers have observed rapid swirling vortexes forming in the water layer beneath the glacier, drawing in warm sea currents that melt the ice sheet above, causing fractures. This melting process contributes to increased turbulence, creating a destructive ‘vicious cycle’ that further harms the glacier.
In a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience, scientists have attributed the changes in Thwaite’s Glacier, which has lost over 600 billion tonnes of ice since the 1980s, to underwater storms melting the ice shelf from below. Lead author Mattia Poinelli, a glaciologist at the University of California, Irvine, warned that this phenomenon could be replicated across Antarctica as ocean temperatures rise globally.
Describing the vortexes as resembling storms, Poinelli highlighted their energetic nature, with intense vertical and turbulent motions near the surface. Thwaites Glacier, part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, spans approximately 75 miles in width and covers about 74,000 square miles, similar in size to mainland Britain or the U.S. state of Florida. The glacier has earned the moniker “the Doomsday Glacier” among climate experts due to the potential impact of its collapse on global sea levels.
Should Thwaites Glacier disintegrate and melt into the surrounding ocean, sea levels could rise between one to two meters (three to six feet), posing a grave threat to major coastal cities such as London, New York, Amsterdam, Bangkok, and Mumbai. Low-lying island nations like the Maldives, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Polynesia, and Micronesia would face submersion. Satellite data has indicated an accelerating rate of fractures within the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf, raising concerns that the ice shelf beneath the glacier could collapse within the next decade.
In a proposal last year, glaciologist John Moore of Lapland University suggested installing a physical barrier on the seafloor to impede warm ocean water from further affecting the glacier. However, this suggestion faced criticism from over 40 researchers who emphasized the importance of reducing carbon emissions and mitigating global warming instead.
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