A giant Antarctic glacier is melting but scientists have found a way to thicken Arctic sea ice

Last week, scientists revealed concerning findings about the colossal Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica. 

Researchers said there is a “grim outlook” for the future of the ice sheet. 

Measuring roughly the size of Great Britain, the frozen mass has been dubbed the ‘Doomsday Glacier’ because of the catastrophic effect that its collapse would have on the planet. 

If the glacier were to melt, the resulting sea level rise would impact hundreds of millions of people, the scientists say. 

However, there has been some good news about sea ice this week, too. Initial trials involving pumping seawater onto snow in the Canadian Arctic have shown the potential to make the ice beneath thicker. 

The Antarctic Ice Sheet is retreating at a faster rate than in previous decades, raising concerns about a total collapse. 

A team of British and American scientists have been monitoring the Thwaites Glacier since 2018 and met at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) last week to reveal their findings. 

The ice sheet, which is over 2,000 metres thick in some places, is one of the largest and fastest-changing glaciers in the world. 

The volume of ice flowing into the sea from Thwaites and its neighbouring glaciers has more than doubled from the 1990s to the 2010s. 

The wider region, called the Amundsen Sea Embayment, accounts for 8 per cent of the current rate of global sea level rise of 4.6 mm a year.  

If the Thwaites Glacier collapsed entirely, sea levels would rise by 65 cm, the researchers said. 

“Thwaites has been retreating for more than 80 years, accelerating considerably over the past 30 years, and our findings indicate it is set to retreat further and faster,” said Dr Rob Larter, a member of the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC)