Doomsday Glacier Collapse: A Potential Disaster for Planet Earth?

Arab Weather - Scientists have revealed alarming results about the collapse of the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica, known as the "Doomsday Glacier." According to the British newspaper "Daily Mail," researchers from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) used underwater robots to take new measurements of this glacier, which is equivalent in size to Great Britain.

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Antarctica's massive Thwaites Glacier and its smaller twin, the Pine Island Glacier, may be in a death spiral.

If they are past a point of no return, scientists say, then only a massive intervention can save them.

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Possible collapse by the 23rd century

Data suggests that Thwaites Glacier, along with most of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, could disappear completely by the 23rd century. Experts warn that its collapse would cause sea levels to rise by 65cm, potentially submerging vast swathes of coastal areas around the world.

• Massive size and global threat

Thwaites Glacier is about 120 km wide, making it the largest glacier on Earth. In some areas, it is more than 2,000 metres deep, equivalent to 2.5 times the height of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Previous studies have shown that the amount of ice flowing from the glacier into the sea has doubled since the 1990s, accounting for 8% of the current rate of global sea level rise of 4.6 mm per year.

Recent studies are seeking to provide more accurate predictions of how and when the Thwaites River will collapse. Dr Rob Larter, a marine geophysicist at the British Geological Survey, said there was a consensus that the river would retreat rapidly over the next century. But some recently discovered processes could accelerate this retreat sooner than previously thought, he added.

• Future warnings

Dr. Ted Scambos, a glaciologist at the University of Colorado, said that modern computer models predict that ice loss will accelerate during the 22nd century, which could lead to a widespread collapse of the Antarctic ice sheet in the 23rd century.

Based on these findings, scientists have called for urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which are a major factor behind the accelerating melting of Thwaites Glacier.

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