Following the expansion of cracks in Antarctica’s ‘Doomsday Glacier’, experts have warned that the glacier’s breaking point could have a major impact on sea level rise.
What is happening?
A study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research found that the eastern Thwaites Ice Shelf has compromised its structural integrity due to continued fracturing over the years. The plateau is an extension of the Thwaites Glacier, which is “one of the most rapidly evolving ice-ocean systems in Antarctica.”
The researchers studied cracks in the shear zone over a period of two decades. They discovered that the fracking took place in two phases. According to the study, long shear fractures would develop and an increase in the number of small fractures would follow.
According to Wired, the collapse of the Thwaites Glacier could cause sea levels to rise by about 65 centimeters, or more than two feet. The ice shelf baseline will retreat at a rate of nearly a kilometer, or more than six-tenths of a mile, every year for the next four decades.
Why is Arctic ice melt important?
The Arctic is warming three times faster than the global average, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature. Human activities that contribute to air pollution have caused temperatures to rise. Since 1900, Arctic sea ice has declined by 60%, meaning sea levels continue to rise.
The Natural Resources Defense Council has reported that parts of the United States will see sea levels rise 1 to 2 feet by 2050. The United States is also expected to experience 45 to 85 days of high tide flooding per year by then as well.
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Melting ice also causes damage to crops that help keep our global food systems intact, according to WWF. Fewer harvests will lead to increased grocery costs which would impact communities around the world. Researchers also said melting ice could open the door to the wider spread of diseases.
What are we doing to combat melting ice in the Arctic?
Government agencies have used satellites to track sea ice for nearly 50 years. Last year, NASA reported that the annual minimum total sea ice cover in the Arctic ranked 10th lowest on record.
“This data record is one of the longest and most consistent satellite data records in existence, in which we observe sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic every day,” said Angela Bliss, deputy chief of NASA’s Cryospheric Sciences Laboratory.
Mitigating Arctic ice melt starts with changing human behavior. You can explore critical climate issues to discover how you can make a difference. Reducing the amount of pollution in the atmosphere can slow global warming and prevent ice melting.
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