Thwaites 'Doomsday Glacier' in Antarctica is melting much faster than predicted

A team of scientists say seawater flowing underneath and into gaps in the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is contributing to the melting of the massive ice formation — a potentially ominous sign of the coming effects of human-driven climate change from the world's widest glacier.

These areas of the glacier may be undergoing "vigorous melting" from warm ocean water caused by climate change, which could lead to even more rapid sea-level rise around the globe.

The Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica — nicknamed the “Doomsday Glacier” because its collapse could cause catastrophic sea level rise — is the world’s widest glacier and roughly the size of Florida. It’s also Antarctica’s most vulnerable and unstable glacier, in large part because the land on which it sits slopes downward, allowing ocean waters to eat away at its ice.

Thwaites, which already contributes 4% to global sea level rise, holds enough ice to raise sea levels by more than 2 feet. But because it also acts as a natural dam to the surrounding ice in West Antarctica, scientists have estimated its complete collapse could ultimately lead to around 10 feet of sea level rise — a catastrophe for the world’s coastal communities.