This blog may help people explore some of the 'hidden' issues involved in certain media treatments of environmental and scientific issues. Using personal digital images, it's also intended to emphasise seasonal (and other) changes in natural history of the Swansea (South Wales) area. The material should help participants in field-based modules and people generally interested in the natural world. The views are wholly those of the author.
Friday 30 April 2021
Melting Point For Thwaites?
We might have less time than we thought! The Thwaites glacier has an area larger than the UK. It sits on the equally enormous West Antarctic ice sheet. This 'doomsday' glacier is the biggest unknown factor in future global sea level rise. The International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC), formed to study it, have recently published some disturbing data (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/30/antarctic-doomsday-glacier-may-be-melting-faster-than-was-thought). Anna Wahlin (University of Gothenburg), who led the ITGC study, notes an apparent increase in the amount of relatively warm water reaching Thwaites glacier. This suggests that melting is accelerating. Wahlen opines that, what happens in the next 2 to 5 years, will 'seal the fate of the West Antarctic ice sheet'. If the ice sheet collapses, the impact on global sea level rise will be catastrophic.
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If Thwaites melts, it is estimated there will be a 3 foot increase in sea level across the globe.
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