We have a new problem. Glaciers in Antarctica are melting at a record pace

glacier larsen c antarctica

Thwaites glacier melts in an alarming dumb. If the scientists' forecasts are confirmed, it will disappear completely in 150 years, thus contributing to an increase in the sea level by about 0.5 meters. And this is just the beginning

The Thwaites glacier is a large mass of ice born of snow, which has been compressed over time. It is part of the Antarctic ice sheet - a large continental glacier that covers at least 51 800 square kilometers of land (an area equal to the United States and Mexico total).

Currently, it is considered one of the most dangerous in the world when it comes to melting rate. It is estimated that it moves back around 800 meters a year. In February this year scientists from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory have discovered a cavity inside the glacier, which further accelerates its melting process.

The melting of the Thwaites is part of a larger trend

According to scientists , the entire Antarctic ice sheet melts almost six times faster than 40 years ago. In the 1980s, it lost around 40 billion tons of ice per year. Currently, the value is 252 billion tons per year and ... due to the climate change that is currently observed, it is still accelerating.

- After reaching the critical point, Thwaites Glacier can lose all ice in 150 years. This would raise the sea level by about half a meter - says Hélène Seroussi, research author and scientist at NASA.

Why is this happening? Antarctica is surrounded by ice caps and floating ice shelves that create a physical barrier between the ocean and inland ice on the continent. These floating sheets behave like a dam that prevents continental ice from entering the ocean, where it would melt causing global sea levels to rise.

As the ocean temperature rises, the warmer water at the base of these ice caps leads to their melting from the bottom. This melting, in turn, causes cavities in the glaciers. This is how the pit in Thwaites was discovered, discovered by NASA scientists. If the entire Thwaites glacier melted, according to the latest research, this would cause an increase in the sea level in the world by about 0.5 meters.

This could be the beginning of a chain reaction

The case gets even more problematic, because Thwaites also prevents neighboring glaciers from entering the ocean. Some other scientists believe that if it melted completely, it could also destabilize the surrounding glaciers. This would mean another increase in the level of water in the oceans and would probably start a new climate migration on a huge scale.

This scenario has been analyzed by Dr. E. Hauer of the University of Georgia. In his opinion, the rising ocean level will mean that 13 million people will have to change their place of residence in the United States alone. Such a large migration will not be spread evenly, of course. According to Hauer's research, for example, Austin, which currently has 2.1 million inhabitants, will be "enriched" by an additional 800,000 people, and about 2/3 of Louisiana residents will have to move to higher-lying areas within the same state. Or flee to Texas, Mississippi or Georgia.

An increase in the sea level would be equally problematic in our country. One meter up would mean that the Baltic Sea would consume virtually the whole of Żuławy, a large part of Elbląg and Gdańsk, and under the fortress of the Teutonic Knights in Malbork, we would have a new beach. With access to the sea of ​​course. So far, we are not doing anything that could stop the melting of Antarctica glaciers, so this scenario presented above is the most real, but far away in time.



We have a new problem. Glaciers in Antarctica are melting at a record pace

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