"Scientists have watched in horror as its retreat has accelerated significantly. Now, as detailed in a study published by the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC) and spotted by Wired, large cracks forming in the ice shelf are continuing to weaken its structural integrity. Doomsday has never been closer. If it were to collapse under its own weight, scientists suggest it could ultimately trigger up to 11 feet of global sea level rise, meaning certain devastation for tens of millions of people."
""Over the past two decades, the shelf has experienced progressive fracturing around a prominent shear zone upstream of its pinning point, gradually compromising its structural integrity," the paper reads. Over the two decades, satellite images showed the "total area length of fractures" growing from around 100 miles to over 200 miles, but the average length actually decreased, suggesting major new stresses acting on the glacier."
Thwaites Glacier's ice shelf is developing large cracks and accelerating retreat. Cracks have grown around a shear zone and area length of fractures increased from about 100 miles to over 200 miles between 2002 and 2022. Average fracture length decreased, indicating release of major new stresses. Warming ocean waters melt ice shelves from below, with eddies up to six miles across driving rapid melting. A feedback loop forms when cold meltwater mixes with warm salty ocean water, increasing turbulence and further undermining the ice shelf. Complete collapse could ultimately raise global sea levels by up to 11 feet, threatening tens of millions of coastal residents.
Read at Futurism
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