Today, Explained An inconvenient glacier
Nov 16, 2022
Jeff Goodell, a contributing editor at Rolling Stone and a climate change author, shares his firsthand observations from Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier, a crucial focus at the COP27 conference. The glacier, alarmingly nicknamed the 'Doomsday Glacier,' is melting and threatening global sea levels. Goodell discusses the devastating potential impacts on coastal cities like Miami and the need for urgent climate action and adaptation strategies. He emphasizes the public's role in recognizing this urgent crisis and the peril of impending climate-driven migration.
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Journey to Thwaites
- Jeff Goodell embarked on a dramatic journey to Thwaites Glacier, enduring rough seas and a lengthy voyage.
- The sight of the glacier was beautiful, surreal, and terrifying, highlighting its importance and potential impact.
Thwaites' Importance and Instability
- Thwaites Glacier's instability stems from warm water melting it from below, unlike Greenland's surface melting.
- Its collapse could trigger the West Antarctic ice sheet's disintegration, raising sea levels catastrophically.
Thwaites' Unique Melting Process
- Thwaites Glacier is melting from below due to warming ocean waters, not surface melting like in Greenland.
- This makes its collapse unpredictable, unlike Greenland's more gradual melt.
