News Climate

Warm water is sneaking underneath the Thwaites Glacier — and rapidly melting it

These incursions, driven by tides, could amplify the retreat of Antarctic ice

A glacier tongue juts out into dark blue water

When Thwaites Glacier reaches the coastline, it lifts off the seafloor and forms a floating ice tongue (shown here). The rising tide lifts this floating ice, providing just enough lift that seawater can squeeze under the part of the glacier that normally rests on the seabed.

James Yungel, NASA ICE (CC BY 2.0 DEED)

By Douglas Fox

In Antarctica, the warm ocean is stealthily attacking a major glacier through a previously unknown route — undermining its foundation on a daily basis.