Among the vast expanse of Antarctica lies the Thwaites Glacier, the world’s widest glacier measuring about 80 miles on the western edge of the continent.
Among the vast expanse of Antarctica lies the Thwaites Glacier, the world’s widest glacier measuring about 80 miles on the western edge of the continent. Despite its size, the massive landform is losing about 50 billion tons of ice more than it is receiving in snowfall within a year, which places it in a precarious position in respect to its stability.
Accelerating ice loss has been observed since the 1970s, but it is unclear when this significant melting initiated – until now. A new study published in the journal PNAS, led by researchers at the University of Houston, suggests that significant thinning and retreat began in the 1940s. Their results on the Thwaites Glacier coincide with previous work that studied retreat of Pine Island Glacier and found its retreat began in the ‘40s as well.
“What is especially important about our study is that this change is not random nor specific to one glacier,” said Rachel Clark, lead author, who graduated from UH with a Ph.D. in geology. “It is part of a larger context of a changing climate. You just can’t ignore what’s happening on this glacier.”
Read more at University of Houston
Image: Thwaites Glacier, western Antarctica, 2019 (Credit: Robert Larter)
