Thwaites Glacier
Also called: Doomsday Glacier · Topic: World Physical Features and Natural Regions · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Thwaites Glacier is a huge glacier in West Antarctica, about the size of Florida. A glacier is a large mass of ice that moves slowly over land. Warm seawater gets under the edge of Thwaites and melts it from below, so it is melting fast. If it collapses, global sea level could rise by about 65 cm. Its collapse could also make the whole West Antarctic Ice Sheet unstable. This is why it is called the "Doomsday Glacier".
Example
Thwaites flows into the Amundsen Sea on the coast of West Antarctica. Its fate matters to low coasts everywhere, including India's Sundarbans and the Lakshadweep islands.
Don't confuse with
- Antarctic sea ice: this is frozen seawater that already floats on the ocean, so melting it adds little to sea level. Thwaites is land ice. When it melts, it adds new water to the sea. Antarctic sea ice hit record lows in 2023.