ScienceAl JazeeraSenegal-sized Antarctic glacier melting faster than thought: Why it matters
New research finds the Thwaites glacier in Antarctica is melting faster than expected and could add 30mm to global sea levels this century.
Thwaites glacier has been losing ice for decades. Now there are concerns of rapidly accelerating loss.
A new study published in Nature Communications found the Thwaites glacier is losing ice far faster than scientists previously thought.
Warm seawater pushing underneath the glacier is melting its core, and the glacier spans roughly 192,000 square kilometres, about the size of Senegal.
Researchers say the glacier could add at least 30mm to global sea levels over the next century, double earlier estimates, though a full collapse is still centuries away.
The study found sea levels could rise by at least 30mm from this glacier alone, even if global warming does not accelerate beyond current predictions.
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