News: A New York University study reported water at just two degrees above freezing point at Thwaites’s “grounding zone” or “grounding line”
Facts:
About Thwaites Glacier
- Thwaites Glacier is located in western Antarctica and flows into Pine Island Bay, a part of the Amundsen Sea
- According to NASA, the Thwaites Glacier is currently responsible for approximately 4% of global sea level rise. It holds enough ice to raise the world ocean by more than 2 feet.
- It is estimated that it would collapse into the sea in 200-900 years. It is often called the Doomsday Glacier because of the risk it faces and poses.
- A 2019 NASA-led study had discovered a giant cavity growing at the bottom of the Thwaites Glacier
Additional Information:
Grounding Line
- The grounding line is the place below a glacier at which the ice transitions from grounded ice sheet to freely floating ice shelf on the ocean.
- The location of the line is a pointer to the rate of retreat of a glacier.
