Antarctica's 'doomsday glacier' might completely vanish by 23rd century

The Thwaites Glacier, also known as "Doomsday Glacier", is inching dangerously close to collapsing, triggering a huge rise in sea levels. A new study now hints at the time it is likely to meet its end.

Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) undertook a fresh study of the glacier and measured it using underwater robots. Their data suggests that the Thwaites Glacier, roughly 74.5 miles (120km) in size, could cease to exist completely by the 23rd century. Along with it, a major part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet could also be lost, leading to sea levels rising to alarming levels across the world.

If it does vanish completely, global sea levels can rise by two feet (65cm), sinking huge portions of landmass, the study says.

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The widest glacier on the planet is equivalent to Great Britain or Florida. At certain points, it is over 6,500ft (2,000 metres) thick. For context, this is 2.5 times the size of Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building in Dubai.

While it is a known fact that the glacier is in danger of melting away fully, the exact timeline is not clear. Dr Rob Larter, a marine geophysicist at BAS, says, "There is a consensus that Thwaites Glacier retreat will accelerate sometime within the next century."

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However, he points to "additional processes revealed by recent studies" that "could cause retreat to accelerate sooner."

Thwaites has been losing a lot of ice lately. Previous studies suggest that the amount of water flowing from the Thwaites Glacier and other glaciers has more than doubled from the 1990s to the 2010s.

West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse

The latest study indicated that a complete collapse looks imminent by the 23rd century.

"It's concerning that the latest computer models predict continuing ice loss that will accelerate through the 22nd century and could lead to a widespread collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet in the 23rd,'" Dr Ted Scambos, US science coordinator of the ITGC and glaciologist at the University of Colorado, said.

Thwaites has been categorised as "exceptionally vulnerable" by researchers because "its ice rests on a bed far below sea level, which slopes downwards towards the heart of West Antarctica."

While the collapse of the Thwaites glacier could lead global sea levels to rise by two feet (65cm), the scenario for the entire West Antarctic Ice Sheet is even more scary. It the latter also vanishes completely, global sea levels will rise by a whopping 10.8ft (3.3 metres).

Researchers are urging for immediate action to tackle greenhouse gas emissions, a leading factor for the melting of Thwaites.