Scientists propose plan to stop melting 'Doomsday Glacier' that could cause catastrophic floods

Arab Weather - A team of scientists has proposed a comprehensive plan aimed at stopping the melting of a huge glacier in Antarctica known as the "Thwaites" or "Doomsday River", which is at risk of melting at an accelerated rate due to climate change. The melting of this river could raise global sea levels by up to 3.05 meters, threatening to submerge important coastal cities in the United States, such as New York, Miami and Charleston.

A "major initiative" to explore future solutions

The Climate Systems Engineering Initiative at the University of Chicago has released a report led by scientists calling for a “major initiative” to explore possible interventions to protect the glacier from melting in the coming decades. The report says it’s important to start funding the research now to avoid making hasty decisions later, when the waters reach threatened coastlines.

Proposals for engineering intervention to prevent river melting

The intervention plan proposed by the scientists includes several engineering approaches, including:

1. Installing an underwater barrier: Creating a curtain under the sea to prevent warm ocean currents from reaching the base of the glacier.
2. Seawater ice thickening: Pumping seawater over the glacier to freeze it and thicken the ice, despite scientists warnings about the risks of this solution to the structure of the ice due to the saltiness of the water.
3. Cooling the bedrock: Drilling tunnels into the rocks over which glaciers slide and pumping cold water into them.

"The question is still how fast" New research on the so-called "Doomsday glacier" suggests its collapse is unstoppable. @rdlarter on what that could mean. pic.twitter.com/B7WnJYJ38B

— Kim Brunhuber (@kimbrunhuber) September 21, 2024

Challenges and high costs of implementing the proposals

One proposal involves pumping in huge amounts of seawater, which would require enormous energy and cost up to $6 billion a year. British startup Real Ice has been conducting field trials of this solution since 2019, showing promising results in Canada, but implementing it on a large scale would face significant challenges.

While some scientists see engineering interventions as a temporary solution, others warn against over-reliance on them. Gernot Wagner, a climate economist at Columbia University’s Climate Change School, said geoengineering is not a solution to climate change, but rather a palliative that could delay the pursuit of permanent solutions like reducing carbon emissions.

Increased warnings after recent study

The report follows a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that used satellite data to identify areas where warm tidal currents flow beneath Thwaites River. The researchers concluded that the accelerating melting of the ice necessitates a revision of sea level rise projections, as current melt rates could lead to catastrophic water levels faster than previously thought.

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