MORE ON WEST ANTARCTICA

A total loss of West Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier and surrounding icy basins could raise sea level from three to 10 feet. 40 percent of the human population lives within 60 miles of the coast. At some point in the last 200 years, in less than six months, the front of the glacier lost contact with a seabed ridge and retreated at a rate of more than 1.3 miles per year–twice the rate documented between 2011 and 2019. You have to wonder if the front of the glacier might lose contact even faster now with more warming than there was in previous retreats.

Story Source: University of South Florida