Climate scientists are studying glaciers in West Antarctica, particularly the Thwaites Glacier, to understand their impact on sea level rise. Recent studies reveal that seawater intrusions extend several kilometers beneath the Thwaites Glacier, indicating increased vulnerability to ocean warming. Warm salty water is penetrating up to 12 kilometers inland under the glacier, which sits on a gravelly bed below sea level, making it susceptible to warm ocean currents.
Thwaites Glacier and most of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet sit on a gravelly bed that is hundreds of meters below sea level — making the ice vulnerable to warm, salty ocean currents that hug the seafloor. https://t.co/xNTX5HXJQR
Warm salty water is pushing its way up to 12 kilometers inland under West Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier. https://t.co/xNTX5HXJQR
A study reveals that seawater intrusions, at tidal frequencies, extend over several kilometers beneath the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica, suggesting greater glacier vulnerability to ocean warming. @SPACEdotcom: https://t.co/yK5skyOC1l PNAS: https://t.co/UFYfgd2V34 https://t.co/VzQLbkGaLJ
Misinformation about the Thwaites ("Doomsday") Glacier of West Antarctica is rampant on twitter. #OurFragileMoment (https://t.co/qUQhFPnO7y) provides critical scientific context for understanding the current state of play and plausible future scenarios: https://t.co/3gfIOmX9Wv
To understand the glaciers holding back meters of sea level rise, climate scientists swoop in to extract ice from Antarctica’s remote west coast. Learn more in this @NewsfromScience feature: https://t.co/sItWIe3eIj https://t.co/lmL1B1yUNf