![]() In the worst-case scenarios, enough melting can cause the ice shelves themselves to thin and eventually disintegrate. This process can push the glacier backward over the bedrock, causing it to retreat inland, pouring more ice into the ocean in the process. Ocean water is able to seep beneath ice shelves and lap up against the edge of the glacier at the grounding line, melting the ice from the bottom up. These are critically important parts of any seaside glacier. Beyond the grounding line, the ice detaches from the ground and juts out in front of the glacier in the form of a floating ice shelf. That’s the point where the ice attaches to the bedrock, anchoring it to the earth. The two studies specifically report on findings from an initiative known as the MELT project, an effort to understand the way warm ocean waters are driving melting at the glacier’s grounding line. The project, which kicked off in 2018, explores the factors driving the giant glacier’s melting and retreat. National Science Foundation and the United Kingdom's National Environment Research Council. The two studies, both published Wednesday in the journal Nature, report some of the latest findings from the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration, a joint initiative of the U.S. ![]() “What we have found is that despite small amounts of melting there is still rapid glacier retreat, so it seems that it doesn’t take a lot to push the glacier out of balance.” “Our results are a surprise but the glacier is still in trouble,” said oceanographer Peter Davis, lead author of one of the studies, in a statement. ![]() That suggests it may take less melting to destabilize the glacier than scientists once thought. On the other hand, it’s still rapidly retreating inland from the sea. On the one hand, Thwaites may be melting more slowly than previous estimates have suggested. The new research contains some sobering conclusions. Often referred to as the “Doomsday Glacier,” it contains enough ice to raise global sea levels by about 2 feet all on its own. A pair of studies this week have shed new light on the melting of the Thwaites Glacier, one of Antarctica’s largest and most menacing stretches of ice. ![]()
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