'Really, Really Bad': Scientists Raise Alarm Over Warm Ocean Water Beneath 'Doomsday Glacier' in Antarctica

One more time we’re faced with the glaring reality and enormity of the WAKE UP CALL that we must radically change NOW — by electing for President the one candidate (Sanders) whose climate plan is commensurate with the crisis, immediately and comprehensively implement the Green New Deal, systematically restructure our economic and political systems, transform our values and increase our consciousness about what must be done, build a national and worldwide collaboration to collectively meet this greatest challenge in our human history, and more — or doom ourselves and make impossible a livable planet for our children and grandchildren and most life on Earth. These are the stark choices we face. And each and every one of us is responsible for which side of history we’re on. The eyes of the children are watching. — Molly

"Warm waters in this part of the world, as remote as they may seem, should serve as a warning to all of us about the potential dire changes to the planet brought about by climate change."

By

Julia Conley

A study by British and American scientists revealed that a massive sheet of ice known as the "doomsday glacier" is melting faster than experts previously believed—edging the world closer to a possible sea level rise of more than 10 feet.

Researchers at New York University and the British Antarctic Survey drilled through nearly 2,000 feet of ice in the Thwaites glacier in West Antarctica, to measure temperatures at the 75-mile wide ice sheet's "grounding line," where the ice meets the ocean.

The water just beneath the ice was found to be 32º Fahrenheit—more than 2º above freezing temperature in the Antarctic region.

The findings have "huge implications for global sea level rise," NYU scientist David Holland said in a statement.

350.org co-founder and author Bill McKibben was among the climate action campaigners who expressed alarm over the new study.

"Oh, damn," McKibben wrote on social media.

The researchers expressed concern that the water beneath the glacier could be even warmer in other areas.

Scientists refer to Thwaites as the "doomsday glacier" due to the dire implications its rapid melting could have for the planet. Though a 10-foot sea level rise would likely take years, the melting of the glacier could eventually mean the U.S. would lose 28,800 square miles of coastal land—pushing 12.3 million people currently living in those areas out of their homes.

"Warm waters in this part of the world, as remote as they may seem, should serve as a warning to all of us about the potential dire changes to the planet brought about by climate change," Holland said.

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