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9 clusters · 63 sources · 75 days · First seen · Last updated

Thwaites Glacier melting and seismic research

Overview

Research regarding the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica has focused on understanding sub-ice melting processes and their impact on global sea levels. Data recovered from the Ran, an autonomous underwater vehicle, revealed that strong undersea currents are causing significant erosion to the ice layer beneath the Dotson Ice Shelf. Recent modeling from NASA, the University of California, Irvine, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory has significantly revised risk assessments by accounting for a ‘grounding zone’—a several-kilometer area where seawater flows under the ice—rather than a fixed line. This suggests the glacier could contribute approximately 30 mm (1.2 inches) to global sea level rise by 2100, roughly doubling previous projections. New research published in Nature Communications reinforces these findings, noting that this wide grounding zone allows warm seawater to flow in and out with the tides, accelerating melting from beneath the ice. To better understand these hidden interactions, the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC) has employed advanced monitoring techniques, such as hot-water drilling, to deploy oceanographic instruments. While Thwaites currently contributes about 4% to global sea-level rise, its total collapse could raise sea levels by over 60 centimeters and potentially trigger a total rise of up to 3 meters by destabilizing the broader Antarctic ice sheet. Simulations by the British Antarctic Survey suggest the glacier may be on an ‘irreversible path of ice loss,’ projected to continue losing mass for at least the next 150 years even if ocean warming is halted. Scientists attribute this ongoing loss to climatic changes dating back to the 1940s, noting that three independent computer models show melting would persist even if seawater-induced melting were halted. While the neighboring Pine Island Glacier has shown signs of thickening, Thwaites has only experienced a slowdown in its rate of retreat.

Entities

Thwaites Glacier · Antarctica · British Antarctic Survey · University of California, Irvine · NASA

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Coverage disagrees

Sources make claims that cannot both be true. CLSTR reports the disagreement; it does not decide who is right.

  • "The loss of the glacier could eventually lead to a sea level rise of approximately three meters."

    vs

    "A total collapse of the Thwaites Glacier could raise sea levels by approximately 65 centimeters."

    The claims assert different total sea level rise amounts from the glacier (3 meters vs 65 centimeters).

  • "Thwaites Glacier is approximately 90 km long and covers an area of about 120,000 km²"

    vs

    "The Thwaites glacier covers an area of approximately 192,000 square kilometers."

    The claims provide different values for the area covered by the Thwaites glacier (192,000 km² vs 120,000 km²).

Timeline

  1. [INTERNATIONAL] 2 sources
    Thwaites Glacier melting could persist for 150 years

    Studies show the Thwaites Glacier may continue losing ice for 150 years due to climatic shifts dating back to the 1940s, potentially raising sea levels by 65 centimeters.

  2. [INTERNATIONAL] 2 sources
    Thwaites Glacier face inevitable melting for 150 years

    Studies show Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier faces inevitable melting for 150 years, while new sanctuaries aim to preserve ice samples from disappearing glaciers.

  3. [INTERNATIONAL] 13 sources
    Thwaites Glacier melting faster than previously projected

    New studies show the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is melting faster than expected, potentially doubling its projected contribution to sea level rise by 2100 due to warm seawater penetration.

  4. [TECHNOLOGY] 33 sources
    Thwaites Glacier melting faster than previously estimated

    New research shows Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier is melting faster than expected, potentially doubling its sea-level rise contribution by 2100 due to seawater penetrating a wide grounding zone.

  5. [INTERNATIONAL] 10 sources
    Thwaites Glacier melting faster than previously estimated

    New models from NASA and UC researchers show the Thwaites Glacier is melting faster than expected, potentially doubling its projected contribution to global sea level rise.

  6. [INTERNATIONAL] 2 sources
    Thwaites Glacier melting at 300 times normal rate

    Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier is melting 300 times faster than normal, losing 90 meters of thickness annually and threatening a significant rise in global sea levels.

  7. [TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
    Thwaites Glacier linked to hundreds of rare ice quakes in Antarctica

    Scientists have recorded over 360 rare ice quakes in Antarctica, with a major concentration near the Thwaites Glacier, offering new insights into ice dynamics and potential sea-level rise.

  8. [TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
    Thwaites Glacier monitoring focuses on sub-ice melting

    Researchers are using hot-water drilling and robotic instruments to monitor melting processes beneath the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica to better predict future sea level rise.

  9. [TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
    Thwaites Glacier research revealed by lost autonomous submarine

    Data from the lost Ran autonomous submarine has revealed critical information about the melting Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica, helping scientists understand how undersea currents erode the ice shelf.

Sources

ahoradigital.net · bahamasspectator.com · blagoevgrad24.bg · brasilemfolhas.com.br · chip.com.tr · ciencias.uy · dailymail.co.uk · de.euronews.com · dewereldmorgen.be · dominicanrepublicpost.com · europesays.com · eventbrite.co.uk · fr.euronews.com · gr.euronews.com · gundemkibris.com · haitigazette.com · hsbnoticias.com · independentpress.cc · infokuryr.cz · jamaicainquirer.com · kibrisnethaber.com · krdo.com · kreiszeitung.de · kurierverlag.de · kvia.com · lacronicadebadajoz.elperiodicoextremadura.com · laopinioncoruna.es · lasemainedansleboulonnais.fr · leinetal24.de · mannheim24.de · merca2.es · merkur-online.de · news.yam.md · nouvelles-du-monde.com · novini247.com · ocio.diariodemallorca.es · okdiario.com · periodicovictoria.cu · prensalibre.com · press.vub.ac.be · radiopolar.com · rama-prozor.info · realitatea.md · report24.news · reporter.mk · socientifica.com.br · sondakikakibris.com · studenti.it

This summary has been updated 19 times: see revision history