admin
Scientists are calling for immediate action in response to the so-called “Doomsday Glacier’s” fast melting, which may have disastrous consequences for cities like Miami.
Recent reports on the Thwaites Glacier have brought the dire consequences of climate change—which is causing sea levels to rise and temperatures to soar—even more into focus.
This enormous glacier, often called the Doomsday Glacier, has enough ice to cause sea levels to rise by more than two feet in the event that it melts.
It’s not only Thwaites, however. Its collapse might set off a chain reaction that would raise sea levels by up to 10 feet,
Serving as a kind of brake for the Antarctic ice sheet. Around the globe, this would have a devastating effect on coastal towns.
The International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration, which has been researching the glacier since 2018, released its results back in September.
They discovered that ice loss is not just continuing but is probably going to pick up speed this century, perhaps causing the glacier to completely melt in the next 200 years.
Rob Larter, a member of the ITGC team and a marine geophysicist of the British Antarctic Survey, noted: “Our findings indicate it is set to retreat further and faster.”
These results came soon after researchers at the University of Chicago released a study detailing several approaches to slowing sea level rise and calling for a “major initiative” to uncover and assess viable solutions.
Two primary groups of possible interventions were identified by the researchers. On the ocean bottom, ‘curtains’ are positioned to prevent warm water from melting the glacier.
Attempting to slow down the currents that remove meltwater from the ice sheets is another approach.
The actual engineering needed may be less than you may imagine, according on early research, said Douglas MacAyeal, a professor of geophysical sciences at the University of Chicago.
For instance, it may only take 50 miles of seafloor nets and curtains to have an impact on Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier.
“Our argument is that we should start funding this research now, so that we aren’t making panicked decisions down the road when the water is already lapping at our ankles.
” MacAyeal said, acknowledging that it may take years of more study to determine which, if any, approaches would be most successful.
The experts underlined that such initiatives would need international cooperation. They pointed out that in order to mold and direct the study.
A wide range of stakeholders would need to be included, including sociologists, ecologists, humanists, community leaders, scientific and engineering associations, international treaty agencies, and many more.