According to new research, the 'Doomsday Glacier' could melt much faster than previously thought.
Sea levels could be raised by up to two feet due to the melting of the Thwaites Glacier.
It's that, and the fact that it acts as a buffer between warming seas and the larger WestAntarctic ice sheet, that makes it an ominous nickname.
A new study led by the University of South Florida found that the Thwaites glacier has melted much faster in the past than it has in the past.
Underwater drones were used to map the sea floor for the first time.
According to the news release, the ridges are like a footprint and show the location of the base of the glacier.
It shows that in the last 200 years it has contracted twice as fast as it has in the past.
"Thwaites is holding on today by its fingernails, and we should expect to see big changes over small timescales in the future, even from one year to the next, once the glacier retreats beyond a shallow ridge in its bed."
A small kick to Thwaites could lead to a big response according to the leader of the study.
Satellite imagery was used to map Thwaites' rate of melting.
A study done in 2020 found that the Pine Island Glacier and Thwaites were breaking apart more quickly than had been thought.
Thwaites is protected by an ice shelf that has deteriorated quickly. Scientists predicted that the shelf is going to melt within five years.
The original article was published by Business Insider.
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