Science
Thwaites: ‘Doomsday Glacier’ vulnerability seen in new maps – BBC News
Sea and airborne surveys show how Antarctica’s mighty Thwaites ice stream can be melted from below.
Image copyrightAlex MazurImage caption
The icebreaker, the Nathaniel B Palmer, mapped more than 2,000 sq km of seafloor in front of the glacier
Scientists may just have identified Thwaites Glacier’s Achilles heel.
This Antarctic colossus is melting at a rapid rate, dumping billions of tonnes of ice in the ocean every year and pushing up global sea-levels.
Now, a UK-US team has surveyed the deep seafloor channels in front of the glacier that almost certainly provide the access for warm wat…
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