(ORDO NEWS) — The Thwaites is a glacier that is comparable in size to Britain. It is located in the western part of Antarctica. Recently, the rate of glacier melting has increased significantly. Every year it decreases in size by about 800 meters.
Experts believe that this glacier will completely melt in 200-600 years. because of this, the level of the world‘s oceans can rise by half a meter.
At the moment, the glacier acts as a buffer between the rest of the glaciers and the warmed sea. When the Thwaites disappear, other glaciers will begin to melt at a tremendous rate, and as a result of this process, the sea level may rise by 3 meters. Coastal areas will be completely flooded.
Professor David Holland said that this could completely and permanently change the coastline. Some details have been added to the overall picture thanks to the latest research by specialists. Warm ocean currents can adversely affect the lower Thwaites.
At the same time, the Pine Island Glacier, which is located nearby, also suffers. Satellite images clearly show that it is falling apart and much faster than scientists previously thought. The study was published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
It is worth noting that experts allocate about 5% of the global rise in sea level to these two glaciers. In recent years, there has been significant destruction of both glaciers, which is very clearly visible in satellite imagery.
At the same time, the Thwaites glacier begins to rapidly dissolve into the sea. The scientists also added that this is due to the fact that natural buffers that previously held these glaciers also began to collapse.
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