Sea levels could rise by several feet within the next decade as scientists warned of an Antarctic ice shelf that could crack and disintegrate, releasing a Florida-sized glacier into the ocean.
Erin Pettit, a professor at Oregon State University who studies glacier and ice sheet dynamics, said this could happen by 2031 and start with the Thwaites Glacier.
A senior research scientist at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental sciences and contributor to the research, Ted Scambos, shared just how serious the situation would be if Thwaites collapsed.
"If Thwaites were to collapse, it would drag most of west Antarctica's ice with it," Scambos said in a news release. "So it's critical to get a clearer picture of how the glacier will behave over the next 100 years."
Right now, the glacier is not currently in the sea because it is being blocked by the eastern ice shelf, which is disintegrating as it sits atop an underwater mountain.
Pettit presented new research to the American Geophysical Union in New Orleans. The research suggests the final collapse of the ice shelf could occur "within as little as five years," marking the beginning of the end for the Thwaites Glacier.
New cracks at the top of the ice shelf are now expanding by 2 kilometers a year, headed to the center of the shelf, research reports.
Now, a zigzag path of cracks has scientists saying it is likely the site for the ice shelf to crack, disintegrate, and release the glacier.
Annually, Thwaites contributes to 4% of global sea-level rise, according to the British Antarctic Survey. Scientists said this number would rise to nearly 25% if the shelf collapses.
The water in the Thwaites Glacier would raise sea levels by 2 feet, but if other glaciers nearby fall, that number could go up to 10 feet, Scambos said.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram