Articles | Volume 15, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3317-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3317-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Brief communication
| 
19 Jul 2021
Brief communication |
| 19 Jul 2021
| 19 Jul 2021
Brief communication: Thwaites Glacier cavity evolution
Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
Adrian J. Luckman
Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
Douglas I. Benn
University of St Andrews, College Gate, St Andrews KY16 9AJ,
UK
Susheel Adusumilli
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
Anna Crawford
University of St Andrews, College Gate, St Andrews KY16 9AJ,
UK
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Short summary
The stability of the West Antarctic ice sheet depends on the behaviour of the fast-flowing glaciers, such as Thwaites, that connect it to the ocean. Here we show that a large ocean-melted cavity beneath Thwaites Glacier has remained stable since it first formed, implying that, in line with current theory, basal melt is now concentrated close to where the ice first goes afloat. We also show that Thwaites Glacier continues to thin and to speed up and that continued retreat is therefore likely.
The stability of the West Antarctic ice sheet depends on the behaviour of the fast-flowing...
