A recent study published in Nature Geoscience highlighted that melting of Antarctica's 'Doomsday Glacier' could lead to a major rise in the world's sea level. This glacier is named because of its rapid melting, which could lead to a major disaster. Its original name is Thwaites Glacier. Now scientists are concerned that the rate of its melting may be faster than expected, which will lead to a big change in sea level.
Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier’s geographical area is equal to that of Britain. Amidst such concerns, due to the rising temperature of the earth, this glacier is melting from the bottom to the top of the sea. Scientists have done the historical mapping of glaciers to know the state of the glacier in the future. They found that in two centuries, the base of the glacier had separated from the sea. Since then, it has been melting every year at a rate of 2.1 km. This is more than double the rate scientists have observed in the past decade.
Alistair Graham, the lead author of this research and a marine geophysicist at the University of South Florida, said that in the middle of the 20th century, this glacier rapidly disappeared. But there is a possibility of this glacier melting even more rapidly in the future. It is estimated that if this glacier melts completely, the world could witness a rise in sea level of up to three feet. Due to this, there will be a big loss to the countries connected to the coastal areas. If this glacier melts completely, then we may have to redraw the sea boundary, he adds.
Robert Larter, a marine geophysicist and co-author of the study from the British Antarctic Survey, said the Thwaites Glacier is indeed a cause for concern and the coming future could see large-scale changes in a short period of time and its effect can be seen from the next year only.
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