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Giant cracks push imperilled Antarctic glacier closer to collapse

The demise of part of the huge Thwaites Glacier would hasten sea-level rise.
  1. Alexandra Witze
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Giant fractures in the floating ice of Antarctica’s massive Thwaites Glacier — a fast-melting formation that has become an icon of climate change — could shatter part of the shelf within five years, research suggests. If that happens, in what had been considered a relatively stable part of Thwaites, the glacier could release an armada of icebergs and begin flowing much faster into the ocean, funnelling ice that had been resting on land into the sea, where it would contribute to sea-level rise.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-03758-y

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 11 January 2022: The original version of this story referred to the upcoming research season in the Antarctic winter. In fact, the research season takes place during the Antarctic summer.

References

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