Antarctica's 'doomsday glacier' might crack in 5 years causing 25-inch rise in sea levels

The Thwaites glacier in Antarctica also called the ‘doomsday glacier’, might soon crack like a car windshield as new data has revealed a crack in its front portion. Named the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf (TEIS), the portion might break as soon as five years from now and could lead to a 25-inch rise in sea level, scientists revealed in their report presented at the American Geophysical Union. Already contributing 4% rise, the breaking off of the Easter Ice Shelf would triple the speed and increase the glacier's contribution to global sea level.

Glacier is no stronger than broken windshield, experts say

(Image: The American Geophysical Union)

With growing concerns around the possible crumbling of the TEIS, Erin Pettit from Oregon State University and lead study author said that the glacier is similar to a broken windshield that can shatter into hundreds of pieces with just one small bump. In an interview with BBC, glaciologist Ted Scambo stated that the dramatic change in the water levels will definitely occur within a decade which would result in widening of the dangerous part of the glacier. Revealing more about the findings, Pettit said in the official report-

We have mapped out weaker and stronger areas of the ice shelf and suggest a 'zig-zag' pathway the fractures might take through the ice, ultimately leading to break up of the shelf in as little as 5 years, which result in more ice flowing off the continent.

According to a Daily Mail report, the heat emerging from the Earth's crust is also contributing to the potential wreckage of the glacier from climate change. Being just 15-25 kilometers deep below West Antarctica in comparison to East Antarctica which is around 40 kilometers deep, this particular region of the Thwaites glacier experience higher levels of heat, up to 150 milliwatts per square meter.

"The temperature on the underside of the glacier is dependent on a number of factors. For example, whether the ground consists of compact, solid rock, or of meters of water-saturated sediment", co-author and AWI geophysicist Dr Karsten Gohl was reported saying by Daily Mail. Shockingly enough, the glacier has lost 600 billion tons of ice since 1970, as per data presented by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

Image: Unsplash