“Doomsday Glacier” is melting faster than expected

The 120 thousand square kilometer Thwaites Glacier, called the “Doomsday Glacier”, began to melt rapidly, leaving the world in danger of being flooded.

Researchers from the University of California, Irvine and the University of Waterloo found that warm tidal currents accelerated the melting of the West Antarctic ice sheet, causing it to retreat faster than models predicted.

If the situation continues to worsen, warm ocean waters could melt Thwaites and raise sea levels by almost 3.35 metres. This will put many major coastal cities and small island nations at risk of flooding.