Senegal-sized Antarctic glacier melting faster than thought: Why it matters

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier, often called the “Doomsday Glacier,” is losing ice faster than scientists had previously projected. The glacier, about the size of Senegal and part of West Antarctica’s larger ice sheet, has been receding for decades, but new research suggests the pace of loss may be accelerating as warm seawater moves beneath it and melts it from below.

According to the article, the study was published in Nature Communications by researchers from the University of California and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Using updated computer models, the team argued that melting around Thwaites’ grounding line is more extensive than earlier estimates assumed. The researchers said the glacier could contribute as much as 1.2 inches, or 30 millimeters, to global sea-level rise by 2100, roughly double some current projections, even if warming does not intensify further.

The glacier matters because it helps hold back the much larger West Antarctic ice sheet. If Thwaites weakens significantly, it could increase long-term sea-level rise and place coastal cities at greater risk. The article notes that Thwaites already accounts for around 4% of global sea-level rise and has lost more than 1,000 billion tonnes of ice since 2000.

Al Jazeera also cites separate British Antarctic Survey findings from July saying Thwaites is likely to keep losing ice for at least 150 years, even under extreme cooling scenarios. The broader context is that human-caused ocean warming is driving glacier instability across West Antarctica, though scientists say more study is needed to narrow future projections.