The rise of the global temperature has caused many adverse effects, including the increased melting of glaciers in the Arctic and the Antarctic.
But scientists have pointed to the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica, also known as the Doomsday Glacier, as the key indicator of the damage that has been inflicted on the planet.
What's happening?
In an effort to combat the continued ice melt, a team of scientists formed the Arête Glacier Initiative. Together, they have raised over $5 million to help develop strategies to better forecast and mitigate the risk of catastrophic sea-level rise caused by ice loss.
One of their main focuses has been researching ways to possibly slow down the rate of ice melt.
Dr. Brent Minchew, co-founder of the Arête Glacier Initiative, spoke to Forbes regarding the group's core mission during its formation.
"The idea [was] that we needed to accelerate progress in understanding and minimizing the risks of catastrophic sea-level rise," Minchew said
A large reason for the Initiative's urgency has been the melt rate of Thwaites Glacier, which accounts for 4% of the world's sea level rise every year. This adds up to an estimated 50 billion tons of ice.
Why is global ice melt concerning?
Global ice melt contributes to rising sea levels, alters global weather patterns, disrupts ocean circulation, and impacts wildlife and ecosystems. The loss of sea ice also reduces the Earth's reflectivity, leading to further warming and accelerating the cycle of ice melt.
If the Doomsday Glacier is completely lost into the ocean, it may lead to the eventual loss of the remaining glaciers in the region, something that Minchew fears would be catastrophic.
"So there will be this big effect," Minchew explained. "Now we're talking about something like between a half a billion and a billion people being displaced in my daughter's lifetime, in the lifetime of today's children."
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Definitely 👍 As the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration noted, the average sea level around the globe has risen up to nine inches since the late 19th century. At the current rate of ice loss in the Arctic, the United States may see sea levels rise by seven feet by 2100. This may put many coastal communities in jeopardy of severe flooding or destruction.
According to a National Snow and Ice Data Center report, if the Antarctic Ice Sheet eventually completely melted away, the sea level would be estimated to rise around 200 feet. While this would take many centuries to happen at the current rate of ice melt, it does put the sheer volume of ice in the Arctic and Antarctic into perspective.
What's being done about global ice melt?
While the loss of glaciers remains a serious concern for the planet, the Arête Glacier Initiative has developed strategies that may help.
"We are focused on a particular category of interventions to slow down glaciers that involves recreating natural phenomenon that already exists within the ice sheet," Minchew said.
One of those interventions includes the utilization of massive heat pumps to transfer heat in order to stabilize glaciers. The team would then pump water from the bed into the air, creating snow at the surface level.
"So the idea of Thwaites and West Antarctic being unstable are all predicated on the idea that the bed is thawed and that the ice can slide over its bed," Minchew adds. "If we freeze the ice to its bed, it is by definition stable."
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