Thwaites "Doomsday" glacier could add 1.2 inches to sea levels by 2100

A Nature Communications study found Thwaites Glacier could contribute up to 30 mm of global sea-level rise by 2100, roughly twice earlier estimates. A separate British Antarctic Survey study found the glacier would keep losing ice for 150 years even if ocean melting stopped entirely.

• The model reproduced observed retreat from 1996 to 2023 with a multi-kilometer-wide grounding zone
• Some simulations show the glacier detaching from a stabilizing ridge as early as 2038
• Full collapse of Thwaites could eventually raise sea levels by 65 cm
• Even with zero ocean melting, the glacier kept losing ice across all 150 years