#thwaitesglacier — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #thwaitesglacier, aggregated by home.social.
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As today is UN World Day for Glaciers I'm taking the opportunity to post this reminder that the main reason nobody can confidently predict how much sea-level will rise over the rest of this century and beyond is "deep uncertainty in ice sheet processes" (IPPC AR6). The biggest uncertainty is how quickly ice will be lost from regions where the ice sheet bed is below sea level. The most immediate risk comes from the Amundsen Sea sector of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and #ThwaitesGlacier in particular. Thwaites has been losing ice at an accelerating rate over the past three decades. It is the fastest changing large glacier in #Antarctica and, because its bed gets deeper towards the interior of the ice sheet, it is the most vulnerable.
Here is a link to a thread I posted previously summarising some key findings from research conducted by the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration.
https://fediscience.org/@PoLaRobs/115441900033252024
#WorldDayOfGlaciers
#Glacier
#sealevel -
Models warn Thwaites Glacier could rival entire Antarctic ice loss by 2067
The future of one of Antarctica's most iconic #glaciers could be far more dramatic than scientists previously thought. Using satellite calibrated ice sheet models, a team of researchers from the University of Edinburgh found that the #ThwaitesGlacier in West #Antarctica could be shedding 180–200 gigatonnes of ice per year by 2067—a rate roughly comparable to the entire Antarctic ice sheet's current mass loss. That would represent a stunning acceleration in ice loss from a single glacier and underlines urgent concerns about future contributions to #SeaLevelRise.
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-thwaites-glacier-rival-entire-antarctic.html
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https://www.europesays.com/ie/382263/ Ice World Expedition: Drilling Through Thwaites Glacier In West Antarctica #Antarctica #AwayTeam #BritishAntarcticSurvey #Cryosphere #DoomsdayGlacier #drilling #Éire #glacier #Https://astrobiologyCom/2026/03/cryobiology #Https://astrobiologyCom/2026/03/tricorder #icebreaker #IcyWorld #IE #Ireland #Polar #R/VAraon #SampleReturn #Science #ThwaitesGlacier #WaterWorld #WestAntarctica
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Hundreds of Iceberg Earthquakes Rattle Antarctica’s Doomsday Glacier
Capsizing icebergs are violently clashing with the crumbling end of the Doomsday Glacier
Thwaites Glacier is sometimes known as the Doomsday Glacier. If it were to collapse completely it would raise global sea levels by 3 meters, and it also has the potential to fall apart rapidly.
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The #DoomsdayGlacier Is Getting Closer and Closer to Irreversible Collapse
An analysis of the expansion of cracks in the #ThwaitesGlacier over the past 20 years suggests that a total collapse could be only a matter of time.
by Ritsuko Kawai, Dec 22, 2025 9:43 AM
Excerpt: "Known as the '#Doomsday Glacier,' the Thwaites Glacier in #Antarctica is one of the most rapidly changing glaciers on Earth, and its future evolution is one of the biggest unknowns when it comes to predicting global sea level rise.
"The eastern ice shelf of the Thwaites Glacier is supported at its northern end by a ridge of the ocean floor. However, over the past two decades, cracks in the upper reaches of the glacier have increased rapidly, weakening its structural stability. A new study by the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC) presents a detailed record of this gradual collapse process.
"Researchers at the Centre for Earth Observation and Science at the University of Manitoba, Canada, analyzed observational data from 2002 to 2022 to track the formation and propagation of cracks in the ice shelf shear zone. They discovered that as the cracks grew, the connection between the ice shelf and the mid-ocean ridge weakened, accelerating the upstream flow of ice."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/fNNm0#DoomsdayGlacier #GlobalWarming #SeaLevelRise #Oiligarchy #ClimateChangeIsRead #ClimateScience #Thwaites #GlobalSeaLevelRise
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For #AntarcticaDay here are a few photos from my last visit, on RV Polarstern three years ago. At the end of that trip I didn't know when or if I would return. Now I have a plan to return this season - watch this space.
This is also a timely opportunity to remind everyone that over previous years we have set up a range of outreach and educational resources on the International #ThwaitesGlacier Collaboration website at
https://thwaitesglacier.org/news/antarctica-festival-2024 -
https://get.mypost.to/DkLGI3
Two decades of satellite and GPS data show the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf slowly
#science #thwaitesglacier #antartica #sciencedaily -
https://get.mypost.to/DkLGI3
Two decades of satellite and GPS data show the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf slowly
#science #thwaitesglacier #antartica #sciencedaily -
🧵 Future change to #ThwaitesGlacier, #Antarctica constitutes the largest uncertainty in #sea-level rise forecasts. The Science Coordination Office of the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC) recently issued a briefing document summarising some key findings.
https://thwaitesglacier.org/findings -
Scientists propose installing giant underwater curtains to prevent catastrophe: ‘It’s a no-brainer’
When a glacier the size of Great Britain is on the brink of melting into the ocean, scientists…
#NewsBeep #News #Environment #AU #Australia #Carbonpollution #Mongabay #polarregions #Science #Sealevelrise #sizeofGreatBritain #ThwaitesGlacier
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/203681/ -
Scientists propose installing giant underwater curtains to prevent catastrophe: ‘It’s a no-brainer’
When a glacier the size of Great Britain is on the brink of melting into the ocean, scientists…
#NewsBeep #News #Environment #Carbonpollution #environment #Mongabay #polarregions #Science #Sealevelrise #sizeofGreatBritain #ThwaitesGlacier #UK #UnitedKingdom
https://www.newsbeep.com/uk/191167/ -
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Nothing to see here (or in #Antarctica)
Scientists issue warning on 'unstoppable' phenomenon that could have global impact: 'Catastrophic consequences'
by Matthew Swigonski, 9/3/2025
"According to a recent study, a team of researchers has determined that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is at an increased risk of completely collapsing due to continually high levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Even with progressive shifts in dirty fuel usage, realistic reductions in CO2 may still not be enough to prevent more abrupt changes."
World’s biggest iceberg, A23a, has broken up
The A23a iceberg has been closely tracked by scientists ever since it calved from the Filchner-Ronne ice shelf in Antarctica in 1986.
By Lianne Kolirin and Issy Ronald, Sep 4, 2025
" 'The world’s largest iceberg is 'rapidly breaking up' into several large 'very large chunks,' scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have said.
"Previously weighing nearly a trillion metric tonnes (1.1 trillion tons) and spanning an area of 3,672 square kilometers (1,418 square miles) — slightly bigger than Rhode Island — the A23a iceberg has been closely tracked by scientists ever since it calved from the Filchner-Ronne ice shelf in Antarctica in 1986. "
https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/worlds-biggest-iceberg-a23a-has-broken-up/1812352
Scientists looked deep beneath the #DoomsdayGlacier. What they found spells potential disaster for the planet
By Laura Paddison, September 20, 2024
"Scientists using ice-breaking ships and underwater robots have found the #ThwaitesGlacier in Antarctica is melting at an accelerating rate and could be on an irreversible path to collapse, spelling catastrophe for global sea level rise.
"Since 2018, a team of scientists forming the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration, has been studying Thwaites — often dubbed the '#DoomsdayGlacier' — up close to better understand how and when it might collapse.
"Their findings, set out across a collection of studies, provide the clearest picture yet of this complex, ever-changing glacier. The outlook is 'grim,' the scientists said in a report published Thursday, revealing the key conclusions of their six years of research.
"They found rapid ice loss is set to speed up this century. Thwaites’ retreat has accelerated considerably over the past 30 years, said Rob Larter, a marine geophysicist at the British Antarctic Survey and part of the ITGC team. 'Our findings indicate it is set to retreat further and faster,' he said.
"The scientists project Thwaites and the Antarctic Ice Sheet could collapse within 200 years, which would have devastating consequences.
"Thwaites holds enough water to increase sea levels by more than 2 feet. But because it also acts like a cork, holding back the vast Antarctic ice sheet, its collapse could ultimately lead to around 10 feet of #SeaLevelRise, devastating coastal communities from Miami and London to Bangladesh and the Pacific Islands.
"Scientists have long known Florida-sized Thwaites was vulnerable, in part because of its geography. The land on which it sits slopes downwards, meaning as it melts, more ice is exposed to relatively warm ocean water."
https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/20/climate/doomsday-glacier-thwaites-melt-sea-level-rise
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Two Sentinel-1 SAR images showing how much the front of #ThwaitesGlacier has changed in nearly 6 years since we reached the ice front on RV Nathaniel B Palmer cruise #NBP1902. Mélange now more dispersed, Glacier Tongue disintegrated further, and a substantial part of the Eastern Ice shelf has gone.
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🌡️ Rising seas, melting glaciers, and deforestation aren’t just environmental issues—they’re trillion-dollar threats to economies worldwide. 🌊 Let’s act before the cost is too high. #ClimateEconomics #ThwaitesGlacier #ClimateCrisis
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🌡️ The melting Thwaites Glacier isn’t just an environmental threat—it’s an economic disaster waiting to happen. Coastal cities face massive financial risks. 🌊 #ThwaitesGlacier #ClimateCrisis
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#Scientists Say #Antarctica’s ‘Doomsday #Glacier’ Could Be Gone Within 200 Years
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/antarctica-doomsday-glacier-disappearing
#Futuregenerations will likely suffer from the loss of #WestAntartica’s #ThwaitesGlacier about 200 years from now.
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A massive #Antarctic glacier, dubbed the "Doomsday Glacier," is melting at an accelerating rate and could be approaching irreversible collapse, international researchers are reporting. #ThwaitesGlacier holds enough #ice to raise global #sealevel by over two feet, has seen rapid retreat in the past 30 years. Scientists found warm ocean water funneling through deep cracks in the ice, causing unexpected melting patterns. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/09/20/climate/doomsday-glacier-thwaites-melt-sea-level-rise/index.html
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Last week a team of International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration researchers published results of a study from which they concluded that #ThwaitesGlacier may be less vulnerable to Marine Ice Cliff Instability (MICI) than previously thought.
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ado7794
1/6 -
‘Worst-Case’ Disaster for #Antarctic Ice Looks Less Likely, Study Finds
#GlobalWarming is putting the continent’s ice at risk of destruction in many forms. But one especially calamitous scenario might be a less pressing concern, a new study found. They focused on the #ThwaitesGlacier, a Florida-size river of ice that is among the fastest receding and least stable in Antarctica.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/21/climate/antarctic-ice-cliff-collapse.html
https://archive.ph/GmaUO
#climate #climatechange #climatecrisis -
#ThwaitesGlacier won’t collapse like dominoes as feared, study finds, but that doesn’t mean the ‘Doomsday Glacier’ is stable https://theconversation.com/thwaites-glacier-wont-collapse-like-dominoes-as-feared-study-finds-but-that-doesnt-mean-the-doomsday-glacier-is-stable-236480
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#SeaLevelRise #TippingPoints
(1/3)Hm, 25 years...we all know that #ClimateChange is probably even accelerating. +1.5°C has really been a "pie in the sky, and "only" +2° are becoming less likely by the day.
A study by #YixiZheng, an oceanographer at the University of East Anglia about the #ThwaitesGlacier in #WestAntarcticanicknamed the “#DoomsdayGlacier”—has shown that it's collapse would lead to sea level rise of 10 ft/3m. 1)
I guess you are one of the best persons to ask: -
#SeaLevelRise #TippingPoints
(1/3)Hm, 25 years...we all know that #ClimateChange is probably even accelerating. +1.5°C has really been a "pie in the sky, and "only" +2° are becoming less likely by the day.
A study by #YixiZheng, an oceanographer at the University of East Anglia about the #ThwaitesGlacier in #WestAntarcticanicknamed the “#DoomsdayGlacier”—has shown that it's collapse would lead to sea level rise of 10 ft/3m. 1)
I guess you are one of the best persons to ask: -
#SeaLevelRise #TippingPoints
(1/3)Hm, 25 years...we all know that #ClimateChange is probably even accelerating. +1.5°C has really been a "pie in the sky, and "only" +2° are becoming less likely by the day.
A study by #YixiZheng, an oceanographer at the University of East Anglia about the #ThwaitesGlacier in #WestAntarcticanicknamed the “#DoomsdayGlacier”—has shown that it's collapse would lead to sea level rise of 10 ft/3m. 1)
I guess you are one of the best persons to ask: -
#SeaLevelRise #TippingPoints
(1/3)Hm, 25 years...we all know that #ClimateChange is probably even accelerating. +1.5°C has really been a "pie in the sky, and "only" +2° are becoming less likely by the day.
A study by #YixiZheng, an oceanographer at the University of East Anglia about the #ThwaitesGlacier in #WestAntarcticanicknamed the “#DoomsdayGlacier”—has shown that it's collapse would lead to sea level rise of 10 ft/3m. 1)
I guess you are one of the best persons to ask: -
#SeaLevelRise #TippingPoints
(1/3)Hm, 25 years...we all know that #ClimateChange is probably even accelerating. +1.5°C has really been a "pie in the sky, and "only" +2° are becoming less likely by the day.
A study by #YixiZheng, an oceanographer at the University of East Anglia about the #ThwaitesGlacier in #WestAntarcticanicknamed the “#DoomsdayGlacier”—has shown that it's collapse would lead to sea level rise of 10 ft/3m. 1)
I guess you are one of the best persons to ask: -
Ocean water is rushing miles underneath the ‘#DoomsdayGlacier’ with potentially dire impacts on #SeaLevelRise
By Laura Paddison, CNN
Published May 22, 2024"The #ThwaitesGlacier in #WestAntarctica — nicknamed the 'Doomsday Glacier' because its collapse could cause catastrophic sea level rise — is the world’s widest glacier and roughly the size of Florida. It’s also #Antarctica’s most vulnerable and unstable glacier, in large part because the land on which it sits slopes downward, allowing ocean waters to eat away at its ice.
"#Thwaites, which already contributes 4% to global #Sea Level rise, holds enough ice to raise sea levels by more than 2 feet. But because it also acts as a natural dam to the surrounding ice in West Antarctica, scientists have estimated its complete collapse could ultimately lead to around 10 feet of sea level rise — a catastrophe for the world’s #coastal communities."
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"The rushing of seawater beneath grounded ice over considerable distances makes the glacier more vulnerable to melting from a warmer ocean than anticipated, which in turn will increase projections of ice mass loss."
Rignot et al, 20 May 2024
https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2404766121 -
#ClimateCatastrophe #Glaciers #SeaLevelRise #Antarctica
(3/n)
...not all the #ice will return.👈
“The impacts of #Antarctic #SeaIce staying low for over twenty years would be profound, including on local and global weather,” #LouiseSime, a co-author on the #BAS [#BritishAntarcticSurvey] study, said in a statement."
"👉The #ThwaitesGlacier in #WestAntarctica — nicknamed the “#DoomsdayGlacier” because its collapse could cause catastrophic sea level rise👈 — is ...
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#ClimateCatastrophe #Glaciers #SeaLevelRise #Antarctica
(3/n)
...not all the #ice will return.👈
“The impacts of #Antarctic #SeaIce staying low for over twenty years would be profound, including on local and global weather,” #LouiseSime, a co-author on the #BAS [#BritishAntarcticSurvey] study, said in a statement."
"👉The #ThwaitesGlacier in #WestAntarctica — nicknamed the “#DoomsdayGlacier” because its collapse could cause catastrophic sea level rise👈 — is ...
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#ClimateCatastrophe #Glaciers #SeaLevelRise #Antarctica
(3/n)
...not all the #ice will return.👈
“The impacts of #Antarctic #SeaIce staying low for over twenty years would be profound, including on local and global weather,” #LouiseSime, a co-author on the #BAS [#BritishAntarcticSurvey] study, said in a statement."
"👉The #ThwaitesGlacier in #WestAntarctica — nicknamed the “#DoomsdayGlacier” because its collapse could cause catastrophic sea level rise👈 — is ...
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#ClimateCatastrophe #Glaciers #SeaLevelRise #Antarctica
(3/n)
...not all the #ice will return.👈
“The impacts of #Antarctic #SeaIce staying low for over twenty years would be profound, including on local and global weather,” #LouiseSime, a co-author on the #BAS [#BritishAntarcticSurvey] study, said in a statement."
"👉The #ThwaitesGlacier in #WestAntarctica — nicknamed the “#DoomsdayGlacier” because its collapse could cause catastrophic sea level rise👈 — is ...
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#ClimateCatastrophe #Glaciers #SeaLevelRise #Antarctica
(3/n)
...not all the #ice will return.👈
“The impacts of #Antarctic #SeaIce staying low for over twenty years would be profound, including on local and global weather,” #LouiseSime, a co-author on the #BAS [#BritishAntarcticSurvey] study, said in a statement."
"👉The #ThwaitesGlacier in #WestAntarctica — nicknamed the “#DoomsdayGlacier” because its collapse could cause catastrophic sea level rise👈 — is ...
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Couldn't make our #ThwaitesGlacier press conference at #EGU24?
Great news - you can watch it online and see @iceadvice talk about exciting findings about the bed under the ice, with an additional few words from me
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#Antarctica’s ‘#doomsdayglacier’ began melting in mid-20th century: Study
According to a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, West Antarctica's #ThwaitesGlacier began rapidly receding in the 1940s -- much earlier than scientists had previous thought.
It's often referred to as the "doomsday #glacier" due to the potentially catastrophic consequences of its hypothetical collapse.
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/4492340-antarcticas-doomsday-glacier-began-melting-in-mid-twentieth-century-study/ #sealevelrise #climatechange -
A thorough overview of the ideas behind #WAIS collapse from the late and much missed #DavidVaughan who sadly died last week.
Appropriate given latest work on #ThwaitesGlacier which David was also UK #Science lead on"West #Antarctic Ice Sheet Collapse, the fall and rise of a paradigm"
Cc @kim
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-008-9448-3#ref-CR28
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“The winds will change the ocean, the ocean will melt #Antarctica—and the water is coming to visit you.” If the #ThwaitesGlacier collapses, it could bring much of the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet with it and raise sea levels by over three meters. The potential collapse of Thwaites is among the largest environmental threats to global civilization—and we’ve barely begun to understand it. What took us so long?
By Marissa Grunes.
https://hakaimagazine.com/features/how-we-came-to-know-and-fear-the-doomsday-glacier/
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“The winds will change the ocean, the ocean will melt #Antarctica—and the water is coming to visit you.” If the #ThwaitesGlacier collapses, it could bring much of the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet with it and raise sea levels by over three meters. The potential collapse of Thwaites is among the largest environmental threats to global civilization—and we’ve barely begun to understand it. What took us so long?
By Marissa Grunes.
https://hakaimagazine.com/features/how-we-came-to-know-and-fear-the-doomsday-glacier/
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“The winds will change the ocean, the ocean will melt #Antarctica—and the water is coming to visit you.” If the #ThwaitesGlacier collapses, it could bring much of the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet with it and raise sea levels by over three meters. The potential collapse of Thwaites is among the largest environmental threats to global civilization—and we’ve barely begun to understand it. What took us so long?
By Marissa Grunes.
https://hakaimagazine.com/features/how-we-came-to-know-and-fear-the-doomsday-glacier/
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“The winds will change the ocean, the ocean will melt #Antarctica—and the water is coming to visit you.” If the #ThwaitesGlacier collapses, it could bring much of the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet with it and raise sea levels by over three meters. The potential collapse of Thwaites is among the largest environmental threats to global civilization—and we’ve barely begun to understand it. What took us so long?
By Marissa Grunes.
https://hakaimagazine.com/features/how-we-came-to-know-and-fear-the-doomsday-glacier/
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“The winds will change the ocean, the ocean will melt #Antarctica—and the water is coming to visit you.” If the #ThwaitesGlacier collapses, it could bring much of the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet with it and raise sea levels by over three meters. The potential collapse of Thwaites is among the largest environmental threats to global civilization—and we’ve barely begun to understand it. What took us so long?
By Marissa Grunes.
https://hakaimagazine.com/features/how-we-came-to-know-and-fear-the-doomsday-glacier/
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Der Winter. Die Erkenntnis von Wissenschaftler:innen, dass in der Antarktis ein riesiger Gletscher, der #ThwaitesGlacier oder #DoomsdayGlacier, demnächst abbrechen und den Meeresspiegel um 65 cm erhöhen wird, löst große Angst aus – bis er wieder vergessen ist. Mehr zu lesen bei: https://twitter.com/Jasonvj2005/status/1475065879910137856?s=20&t=sJer7l1CCKNNrjRzZbM3wg
Der Frühling. Durch die tödliche Dürre im Horn von Afrika kommt es zu entsetzlichen Hungerleiden von Millionen von Menschen.
Bis 2070 könnten 30% des Planeten zu Todeszonen werden. Das wird bis zu 3,5 Milliarden Menschen treffen.
