About the size of Great Britain, it is located in Antarctica and it is a serious risk for the whole planet: the Apocalypse Glacier is in danger of melting
The scientific community is certain: climate is the real crisis that our world must face now and in the coming years. A group of scientists has calculated the date when our world will be uninhabitable. According to some, it is already too late, and the signs are increasingly evident: forests are disappearing, animals are getting sick, it's getting hotter. And now, even a huge glacier in Antarctica is in danger of disappearing.
The Glacier of the Apocalypse
The most alarming news about melting ice often comes from the North, from the Arctic area. It's more difficult to hear about big melting in the South because, unlike the Arctic which is made of more or less self-propelled ice, Antarctica is a real continent.
This time, however, it's different: a worrying news comes from the far South, because one of the ice shelves that protects the so-called "Doomsday Glacier" is melting. The official name is Twhaites Glacier.
It is a very important defense against global sea level rise, located in the western part of Antarctica, is the size of Great Britain and is likely to break up in the next 3-5 years. This is evidenced by some satellite photos taken last month.
The Risk of Melting
The name comes from the serious risk it would pose if it really did melt one day: it would be billions of tons of sea ice, which could lead to irreversible changes across the Planet.
It already accounts for 4 percent of global annual sea-level rise, as it loses 50 billion tons of ice each year.
If it were to melt, coastal communities around the world would be in danger, as would small island nations. But University of Colorado glaciologist Ted Scambos reassures, partially: "it will take decades before the world sees a real acceleration in the melting of this glacier: but its results will still be dramatic and measurable, and that's worrisome."
What's most at risk today is the ice barrier that defends the Thwaites. And it certainly isn't helping the steady rise in sea temperatures around the world.