Thwaites Glacier could contribute twice as much sea-level rise as previously projected

4 days ago by Hanrahan to c/collapse

A new ice sheet model developed by glaciologists at the University of California, Irvine and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory projects that the melting of Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica will contribute up to 30 millimeters (1.2 inches) of sea level rise by 2100—twice previous estimates—even without additional climate warming.

We have documented and quantified the impacts of climate change on our planet's sensitive ice sheets for decades, but a mounting realization gained in recent years of what is happening on the undersides of glaciers like Thwaites is leading to an even greater sense of alarm," said co-author Eric Rignot, UC Irvine professor of Earth system science.

Greater sense of alarm you say ?

"Most projections to date have struggled to match the rapidity of the mass loss because of missing physics; our new model with more complete physics is able to match the record and then produces projections that are twice as large as before.

thefluffiest 2 points 4 days ago

A new ice sheet model developed by glaciologists at the University of California, Irvine and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory projects that the melting of Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica will contribute up to 30 millimeters (1.2 inches) of sea level rise by 2100—twice previous estimates—even without additional climate warming.

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