GS Paper III

News Excerpt: 

A study has found that Antarctica’s Doomsday Glacier(Thwaites Glacier) has been melting since 1940 due to El Nino.

More about the findings: 

• According to a research conducted by the National Academy of Sciences (USA), researchers by utilising marine sediment cores, unearthed evidence suggested that there has been a significant increase in melting starting from 1940.
• The Thwaites Glacier's retreat mirrors similar patterns observed in neighbouring Pine Island Glacier ice formations.
• The glacier which is roughly around the size of Gujarat can lead to a chain of catastrophic events.
• The primary concern revolves around the Thwaites Glacier acting as a natural barrier to vast reservoirs of ice behind it. Should it collapse, these ice reservoirs would cascade down the gentle slopes of continental Antarctica, resulting in an additional 3-meter surge in sea levels. 
• Such a rise would affect low-lying regions and coastal cities worldwide, with countries like Bangladesh, the Maldives, the Netherlands, and parts of the United States, such as Florida and Louisiana, being particularly vulnerable. Nevertheless, the repercussions would extend far beyond these areas, impacting the global community at large.

Importance of Thwaites: 

• West Antarctica is the stormiest part of the world's stormiest continent. And Thwaites is remote even by Antarctic standards, more than 1,000 miles (1,600km) from the nearest research station.
• Understanding what is happening here is essential for scientists to be able to predict future sea level rise accurately.
• The ice in Antarctica holds 90% of the world's fresh water, and 80% of that ice is in the eastern part of the continent.

Why scientists are worried: 

• The reason the scientists are so worried about Thwaites is because of that downward sloping submarine bed. It means the glacier gets thicker and thicker as you go inland. 
• At its deepest point, the base of the glacier is more than a mile below sea level and there is another mile of ice on top of that. 
• What appears to be happening is that deep warm ocean water is flowing to the coast and down to the ice front, melting the glacier. As the glacier retreats back, yet more ice is exposed.

Conclusion:

This study serves as a sobering reminder that the ice's retreat, once set in motion, may prove resistant to mitigation efforts. As the world witnesses the relentless march of climate change, the fate of Antarctica's glaciers hangs in the balance.