Seawater Seeps Under Thwaites Glacier, Doubling Sea-Level Threat

Researchers at UC Irvine and NASA JPL built a new ice sheet model of West Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier, published in Nature Communications. It projects up to 30 mm (1.2 inches) of sea-level rise by 2100 even without further warming — twice previous estimates. ICEYE radar data show seawater penetrating miles beneath the grounded ice.

• Thwaites Glacier could add up to 30 mm to sea levels by 2100
• New model projects twice the rise of previous estimates
• Seawater penetrates miles beneath the glacier with tides
• Findings rely on 20 years of ICEYE satellite radar data