Near Antarctica there is the Doomsday Glacier or the Thwaites Glacier. The apocalyptic name appeared for a reason – scientists say that its melting can lead to catastrophic consequences for humanity.
Recently, researchers from Stanford University have voiced a new threat to the planetary scale. They found that a kind of erosion began to occur inside the glacier. This can drastically accelerate sea level rise. Details told the publication New atlas.
Doomsday Glacier
The Doomsday Glacier is like a “brake block” for the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Its destruction can lead to terrible floods. Many coastal cities and regions will go under water, and sea levels will rise sharply.
The Doomsday Glacier is of global significance to the planet. But scientists warn that climate change is causing ice loss too quickly. There is a possibility that it may melt within a few decades.
In 2021, scientists said that in the coming years, there is a high probability of losing parts of the glacier. Huge blocks can break off. If the glacier is completely destroyed or parted, the water in the oceans will rise by 3 meters.
Catastrophe predictions
The 130 km wide ice flow inside the glacier could expand significantly in the next 20 years, scientists say.
Jenny Sakail, assistant professor of geophysics at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, noted that this is similar to the effect of river erosion that expands on the banks.
Computer models of the movement of the glacier focused on its speed and thickness. An expansion of just 2% from current levels would result in a dramatic loss of ice. Billions of tons could break away into the Amundsen Sea, paving the way for further ice.
Scientists do not exclude the possibility that the flow of ice over time may narrow or remain at a constant level, leading to greater stability.
Earlier, GLOBAL HAPPENINGS said that a supercomputer predicted the date of the end of the world, when humanity would perish.
Source: Obozrevatel
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