If it collapses, it could raise sea levels by a full two feet -- and maybe more.
" — is about the size of Florida and locked in place by a small ice shelf, which acts as an important buffer against sea level rise.
Now, using a torpedo-like robot to get a closer look, researchers have discovered that this critical shelf is starting to show cracks and "staircase" formations, worrying signs that it's undergoing rapid changes as climate change accelerates,The consequences, as the glacier's nickname suggests, could be disastrous. If it was to collapse, the glacier could contribute to a sea level rise of more than two feet, which could pose a grave threat to coastal communities worldwide.
The robot could "swim up to these really dynamic places and take data from the sea floor all the way to the ice," Britney Schmidt, a Cornell University professor and lead author ofThe collected data paints a nuanced picture, according to the researchers, revealing that the glacier is melting slower than expected as compared to previous projections, averaging 6.5 to 17.7 feet a year.
"What we have found is that despite small amounts of melting there is still rapid glacier retreat, so it seems that it doesn’t take a lot to push the glacier out of balance," Peter Davis, British Antarctic Survey oceanographer and lead author on the
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