The current rate at which the famed Thwaites and Pine Island glaciers are retreating is unprecedented and possibly irreversible.

Antarctica is covered by two massive ice masses: the East and West Antarctic Ice Sheets. Researchers are particularly concerned about the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, which has been thinning at an accelerated rate in recent decades due to the warming climate. It’s bad news for several glaciers located here, including the well-known Thwaites and Pine Island glaciers. Scientists have been keeping a close eye on these Antarctic monster glaciers for some time now. And in a new study they again present alarming findings.

Thwaites and Pine Island Glacier

We’ve known for a while that the Thwaites and Pine Island Glaciers aren’t doing so well. For example, the Pine Island Glacier regularly gives birth to icebergs, making this glacier one of the biggest concerns in West Antarctica. In addition, the Thwaites Glacier is melting at a relentless pace and is currently responsible for about 4 percent of global sea level rise. In short, we already know that the two Antarctic monster glaciers are particularly vulnerable to global warming and are currently contributing to sea level rise. But how unique is that, if we take a look into the past?

5500 years

Very unique, it turns out. Because the Antarctic monster glaciers today are doing something they haven’t done in the past 5,500 years. For example, the Thwaites and Pine Island glaciers are currently melting away at record speed. The speed at which these two monster glaciers are retreating is truly unprecedented over a span of more than 5,000 years. “While these fragile glaciers have been relatively stable over the past millennia, the rate at which they are melting has accelerated, causing global sea levels to rise,” said study researcher Dylan Rood.

sea ​​level rise
The rate at which the two Antarctic monster glaciers are retreating appears to have doubled in the past thirty years. And that’s bad news. If the Thwaites and Pine Island glaciers completely languish, it will have major consequences for sea levels. With an area of ​​192,000 km2 (almost the size of the whole of Great Britain) and 162,300 km2, respectively, the glaciers could cause a sea level rise of no less than 3.4 meters in the coming centuries.

According to Rood, these are disturbing findings. “The increased rates at which the ice is melting may indicate that vital arteries have ruptured from the heart of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet,” he says. “This may have led to an accelerated flow of ice into the ocean, potentially disastrous for future global sea levels. We urgently need to find out if it is already too late to stop the bleeding.”

Beaches

The researchers base their results on analysis of remains of ancient Antarctic beaches. During the mid-Holocene, more than 5,000 years ago, the climate was warmer than it is today, resulting in higher sea levels and smaller glaciers. The researchers wanted to study sea level fluctuations since the mid-Holocene, so they turned to the ancient remnants of Antarctic beaches, including sea shells and penguin bones. By figuring out the precise age of these beaches, the researchers were able to determine when each beach was formed. And that way, they were able to reconstruct sea level elevation over the past 5,000 years.

Research continues. Because in order to better predict the future fate of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and its impact on global sea levels, scientists will try to determine how the Thwaites Glacier in the past responded to climate conditions similar to those of today. Important clues are likely buried deep under the ice. To solve existing mysteries, the researchers will therefore have to drill through the glacial ice to access the underlying rock. And then hopefully researchers will answer the pressing question of whether we can slow down the rate at which ice is wasting away, or whether it’s already a lost cause.