The Thwaites Ice Shelf in 2012. (James Yungel/NASA ICE)ENVIRONMENT

ELLA GILBERT, THE CONVERSATION3 JANUARY 2022

https://www.sciencealert.com/what-antarctica-s-thwaites-doomsday-glacier-means-for-the-world

The massive Thwaites glacier in West Antarctica contains enough ice to raise global sea levelsby 65cmif it were to completely collapse. And, worryingly, recentresearch suggeststhat its long-term stability is doubtful as the glacier hemorrhages more and more ice.https://bf9a0e778b7cad73c46768cd67fb4779.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Adding 65cm to global sea levels would be coastline-changing amounts. For context, there’s been around 20cm of sea-levelrise since 1900, an amount that is already forcing coastal communities out oftheir homesand exacerbating environmental problems such as flooding, saltwater contamination, and habitat loss.

But the worry is that Thwaites, sometimes called the “doomsday glacier” because of its keystone role in the region, might not be the only glacier to go.

Were it to empty into the ocean, it could trigger a regional chain reaction and drag other nearby…