Last February we posted “The Doomsday Glacier — the Thwaites Glacier Melting From Below,” about the flow of warmer water that is melting the massive West Antarctic glacier from below. Thwaites is referred to as the “Doomsday Glacier” because it’s collapse could eventually lead to the collapse of the entire West Antarctic ice sheet, which contains enough ice to raise the sea level by about 10 feet. Currently, sea levels are rising about 3.5 millimeters a year, and Thwaites alone contributes about 4% or 5% of the total.

The Washington Post reports that a study of the Thwaites and the adjacent Pine Island glacier, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that a naturally occurring buffer system that prevents the glaciers from flowing outward rapidly is breaking down, potentially unleashing far more ice into the sea in coming years. In other words, the collapse of the Doomsday Glacier is accelerating. The collapse may take centuries but could be unstoppable.

Below is a short video explaining the process. The good news is that the curbing of greenhouse gases might slow or stop the collapse of the ice sheet. The bad news is that greenhouse gases are still rising and at one point the collapse may become inevitable.

Why scientists are so worried about this glacier

Thanks to David Rye for contributing to this post.