Antarctica is such a cold continent that very few people have visited it, and far fewer have set foot on one of its glaciers: Thwaites. which is located in the western part of the continent. One of the lucky few is Knut Christianson, a glaciologist at the University of Washington (United States), who is dedicated to studying it in order to predict the consequences of its global thaw.
What he has discovered to date seems more like an apocalyptic story than a real one, but the truth is that it gives a lot to think about. And it is that, »if there is going to be a climate catastrophe, it will most likely start in the Thwaites"As predicted by Ian Howat, an Ohio glaciologist. But why?
The ice of Antarctica melts more like a house of cards, that is, that Stays steady until pushed. Although it is a process that will not happen overnight, in a matter of decades the loss of the Thwaites glacier will destabilize the rest of the ice in the western part of the continent. Once i do, will endanger all those who live less than 80 miles from the coast, that is to say, half of the world population.
Sea level could rise by about three parts in many parts of the world, and up to four in others like New York or Boston.
How long until this happens? Well, the continent used to be asleep, but "now it's moving," said Mark Serreze, director of the US National Center for Snow and Ice Data. In 2002 the Larsen B ice shelf melted. Its disappearance has helped the glaciers behind it flow into the sea up to eight times faster than before. It is possible that the Larsen C platform suffer the same fate, since it presents a crack of 160 kilometers.
According to simulations by Eric Rignot of NASA and Ian Joughin of the University of Washington, this same destabilization process is already underway in the Thwaites glacier.
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