What happens if the ice shelf collapses?
But if the shelf collapses, that amount could rise to 25 percent, the scientists said. All the water in the Thwaites Glacier would raise sea levels by 2 feet — but if its collapse triggers nearby glaciers to fall, the global sea level could rise by up to 10 feet, Scambos said.
How long will it take Thwaites Glacier to melt?
Thwaites Glacier is one of the biggest in Antarctica. Until now, an ice shelf — a floating slab of ice — has held this West Antarctic glacier from the ocean. But new research suggests this ice shelf could collapse within three to five years.
What happens if Thwaites Glacier collapses?
If Thwaites Glacier collapses, it opens the door for the rest of the West Antarctic ice sheet to slide into the sea. Globally, 250 million people live within three feet of high tide lines. Ten feet of sea level rise would be a world-bending catastrophe.
What’s under the Antarctic ice?
The lakes grow and shrink beneath the ice. Scientists have discovered two new lakes buried deep beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet. These hidden gems of frigid water are part of a vast network of ever-changing lakes hidden beneath 1.2 to 2.5 miles (2 to 4 kilometers) of ice on the southernmost continent.
Is there a crack in Antarctica?
Giant fractures in the floating ice of Antarctica’s massive Thwaites Glacier — a fast-melting formation that has become an icon of climate change — could shatter part of the shelf within five years, research suggests.
What is true of the glacier called Thwaites?
Thwaites is a frozen river of ice approximately the size of Great Britain. It already contributes around 4% of the global sea-level rise. Since 2000, the glacier has had a net loss of more than 1000 billion tons of ice and this has increased steadily over the last three decades.
Is Thwaites an ice shelf?
Thwaites Ice Shelf (75°6′S 105°31′WCoordinates: 75°6′S 105°31′W), is an Antarctic ice shelf in the Amundsen Sea. It was named by ACAN after Fredrik T. Thwaites, a glacial geologist and geomorphologist.
What is hidden in the Antarctic?
Does Antarctica have trees?
Antarctic coniferous trees In a small part of Alexander Island, on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, ancient fossil trees that date back 100 million years can be found, with logs up to seven metres high (23 feet) still found standing upright.
Where is a 74 iceberg?
Antarctic Brunt Ice Shelf
Iceberg A-74 is an iceberg that calved from the north side of the Antarctic Brunt Ice Shelf in February 2021. Its calving had been anticipated due to large ice rifts that opened up in September 2019 and spread in the Antarctic summer of 2020–21.