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Environment

'Doomsday' glacier in Antarctica isn't as vulnerable as feared

Thwaites glacier in Antarctica would cause massive sea level rise if it melts completely, but models suggest the break-up of the ice shelf in front of it won't make it flow faster

By Alec Luhn

8 June 2023

The edge of the Thwaites ice shelf in Antarctica

agefotostock/Alamy

The loss of a floating ice shelf at the front of Thwaites glacier in Antarctica won’t significantly speed up the glacier’s flow into the sea, according to a modelling study. This contradicts earlier predictions that the imminent break-up of the ice shelf would lead to a quicker rise in sea level, although scientists still fear this “doomsday glacier” will eventually collapse.

Formed where glaciers slide into the ocean, ice shelves often butt up against “pinning points” like bays, islands or underwater ridges, …

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