A melting glacier in Antarctica could cause sea levels to rise across the world (Image: Getty Images)
Scientists have been warning of the melting “Doomsday Glacier,” which could have catastrophic effects on sea levels.
The melting Thwaites Glacier, which sits on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, is larger than the size of Florida and is one of the fastest-retreating glaciers in Antarctica. The Thwaites Glacier is roughly 80 miles across, making it the widest glacier in the world.
It has been nicknamed the “Doomsday Glacier” because scientists have found that it’s melting at an alarming rate due to warm ocean water caused by climate change, and if it collapses, it could raise sea levels by nearly 11 feet, putting large coastal cities at risk.
The ice loss from the Thwaites Glacier currently accounts for about 4% of global sea-level rise, according to the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration. Every year, it loses 50 billion tons of ice more than it receives in snowfall.
The melting of the Thwaites Glacier could be devastating for coastal communities
The NOAA map shows which U.S. cities could be underwater if sea levels rise 10 feet (Image: NOAA)
A 2024 study led by researchers at UC Irvine and the University of Waterloo used high-resolution satellite radar data to identify areas where warm, high-pressure seawater was rushing beneath the grounded ice of the Thwaites Glacier, accelerating melting and driving faster sea-level rise.
“Thwaites is the most unstable place in the Antarctic and contains the equivalent of 60 centimeters of sea level rise,” Christine Dow, an associate professor of glaciology at the University of Waterloo and a co-author of the study, told UC Irvine News. “The worry is that we are underestimating the speed that the glacier is changing, which would be devastating for coastal communities around the world.”
Dow continued to explain, “At the moment we don’t have enough information to say one way or the other how much time there is before the oceanwater intrusion is irreversible.”
“By improving the models and focusing our research on these critical glaciers, we will try to get these numbers at least pinned down for decades versus centuries,” she added. “This work will help people adapt to changing ocean levels, along with focusing on reducing carbon emissions to prevent the worst-case scenario.”
Another 2024 study published in Science Advances by Dartmouth College and University of Edinburgh researchers found through simulations that the Thwaites Glacier may not be as vulnerable to marine ice cliff instability (MICI) as previously thought.
The researchers found, “All models show that Thwaites Glacier would not retreat further in the 21st century.” This study showed, through simulations, that the “thinning” of the Thwaites could “reduce the calving rate” and stabilize the cliff. The researchers note that the model projections should be re-evaluated.
What U.S. cities would be at risk if sea levels rise 10 feet?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) projection map of sea level rise shows which areas of the U.S. would be affected if sea levels rise by 10 feet. Major areas of the U.S. coastline would face devastating impacts, with some areas experiencing extreme flooding and others being completely submerged.
Florida is one of the states that would be hit the hardest by a 10-foot rise 10 sea levels, with large parts of the coastline going underwater, while cities such as Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Panama City would face the risk of severe flooding.
Cities along the Texas coastline, including Galveston Bay, Freeport, Surfside Beach, and areas near New Orleans, Louisiana, would be vulnerable to rising sea levels.
Other cities at risk include Charleston, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; Norfolk and Virginia Beach, Virginia; Wilmington, North Carolina; Baltimore, Maryland; New York City, New York, as well as areas of New Jersey, Delaware, and Mississippi, as reported by Newsweek.
California would also be at risk, with areas such as San Francisco Bay, Oakland, San Mateo, San Diego, and Santa Barbara being especially vulnerable.