"The Country Sinks in an Instant"... Antarctic 'Doomsday' Glacier to Shatter Within 3 Years

Cracks Found in Ice Shelf East of Swayze Glacier

Arctic.
Photo by Dirk Notz

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] A study has revealed that a part of the 'Swayze' Glacier, the most important glacier in Antarctica that prevents global sea level rise and is well known as the 'Doomsday' glacier, could shatter within 3 to 5 years.

CNN reported on the 14th (local time) that the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC), an organization tracking and monitoring the state of the Swayze Glacier, discovered cracks spreading in all directions on the eastern ice shelf of the Swayze Glacier (a massive ice shelf connected to the Antarctic land but floating on the sea) through satellite images taken last month.

Erin Pettit, a glaciologist and professor at Oregon State University in the U.S., warned by comparing it to a car windshield cracking into hundreds of glass pieces from a small impact, saying, "The eastern ice shelf of the Swayze Glacier is in a situation where it could suddenly collapse within 3 to 5 years due to the cracks."

The Swayze Glacier covers an area of 192,000 km², which is similar in size to the entire Korean Peninsula (220,748 km²).

According to ITGC, if the ice shelf supporting one-third of the glacier's eastern part collapses, the melting rate of the glacier, which is currently melting at 50 billion tons annually, will accelerate significantly. This is because the land glacier protected by the ice shelf will also flow into the sea.

Glaciologists expressed concern that while the current impact of the Swayze Glacier on global sea level rise is about 4%, it could surge up to 25% if the eastern ice shelf collapses.

Dr. David Scambos, the U.S. coordinator of ITGC, explained, "If the Swayze Glacier melts, it will raise sea levels by about 60 cm, but combined with surrounding glaciers, the rise could reach up to 3 meters." In this case, most of the population living in low-lying areas would be affected. Especially for Tuvalu, an island nation located in the central Pacific, where the land elevation is only 2 meters, a 3-meter sea level rise would submerge the entire country instantly.

Photo by BBC capture

Meanwhile, the Arctic also recorded its highest temperature on the same day. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) officially recognized the 38 degrees Celsius recorded over Verkhoyansk, Russia, on June 20 last year as the highest temperature in the Arctic.

In a statement, the WMO warned, "A temperature of 38 degrees is more suitable for the Mediterranean region than the Arctic."

Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the WMO, said, "This is one of the observation records that sound the alarm on extreme climate change," adding, "Last year, Antarctica also recorded a temperature of 18.3 degrees."