Articles | Volume 15, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5187-2021
© 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-15-5187-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
| 
22 Nov 2021
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 22 Nov 2021
| 22 Nov 2021
Two decades of dynamic change and progressive destabilization on the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf
Centre for Earth Observation Science, Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Christian T. Wild
College of earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
Adrian Luckman
Department of Geography, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
Ted A. Scambos
Earth Science and Observation Center, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
Martin Truffer
Geophysical Institute and Department of Physics, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
Erin C. Pettit
College of earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
Atsuhiro Muto
Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Bruce Wallin
National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
Marin Klinger
National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
Tyler Sutterley
Polar Science Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Sarah F. Child
Earth Science and Observation Center, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
Cyrus Hulen
Department of Earth Sciences, College of Wooster, Wooster, OH, USA
Jan T. M. Lenaerts
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
Michelle Maclennan
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
Eric Keenan
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
Devon Dunmire
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
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- Contemporary sea-level changes from global to local scales: a review A. Cazenave & L. Moreira 10.1098/rspa.2022.0049
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- Amundsen Sea circulation controls bottom upwelling and Antarctic Pine Island and Thwaites ice shelf melting T. Park et al. 10.1038/s41467-024-47084-z
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- Inland migration of near-surface crevasses in the Amundsen Sea Sector, West Antarctica A. Hoffman et al. 10.5194/tc-19-1353-2025
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- Antarctica in 2025: Drivers of deep uncertainty in projected ice loss H. Fricker et al. 10.1126/science.adt9619
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- Episodic dynamic change linked to damage on the Thwaites Glacier Ice Tongue T. Surawy-Stepney et al. 10.1038/s41561-022-01097-9
34 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Combining “Deep Learning” and Physically Constrained Neural Networks to Derive Complex Glaciological Change Processes from Modern High-Resolution Satellite Imagery: Application of the GEOCLASS-Image System to Create VarioCNN for Glacier Surges U. Herzfeld et al. 10.3390/rs16111854
- Weakening of the pinning point buttressing Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica C. Wild et al. 10.5194/tc-16-397-2022
- Contemporary sea-level changes from global to local scales: a review A. Cazenave & L. Moreira 10.1098/rspa.2022.0049
- Sedimentary Signatures of Persistent Subglacial Meltwater Drainage From Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica A. Lepp et al. 10.3389/feart.2022.863200
- Rapid fragmentation of Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf D. Benn et al. 10.5194/tc-16-2545-2022
- Basal Melting, Roughness and Structural Integrity of Ice Shelves R. Larter 10.1029/2021GL097421
- Suppressed basal melting in the eastern Thwaites Glacier grounding zone P. Davis et al. 10.1038/s41586-022-05586-0
- Rift propagation signals the last act of the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf despite low basal melt rates C. Wild et al. 10.1017/jog.2024.64
- Heterogeneous melting near the Thwaites Glacier grounding line B. Schmidt et al. 10.1038/s41586-022-05691-0
- Synchronous retreat of Thwaites and Pine Island glaciers in response to external forcings in the presatellite era R. Clark et al. 10.1073/pnas.2211711120
- On the Shallowing of Antarctic Low-Level Temperature Inversions Projected by CESM-LE under RCP8.5 M. Ding et al. 10.1007/s13351-024-3146-6
- Giant cracks push imperilled Antarctic glacier closer to collapse A. Witze 10.1038/d41586-021-03758-y
- Limited Impact of Thwaites Ice Shelf on Future Ice Loss From Antarctica G. Gudmundsson et al. 10.1029/2023GL102880
- Analysis of continuous calving front retreat and the associated influencing factors of the Thwaites Glacier using high-resolution remote sensing data from 2015 to 2023 Q. Zhu et al. 10.1080/17538947.2024.2390438
- Seawater oxygen isotopes as a tool for monitoring future meltwater from the Antarctic ice-sheet H. Kim & A. Timmermann 10.1038/s43247-024-01514-4
- Climatology and surface impacts of atmospheric rivers on West Antarctica M. Maclennan et al. 10.5194/tc-17-865-2023
- Stability of Ice Shelves and Ice Cliffs in a Changing Climate J. Bassis et al. 10.1146/annurev-earth-040522-122817
- Ocean variability beneath Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf driven by the Pine Island Bay Gyre strength T. Dotto et al. 10.1038/s41467-022-35499-5
- Characteristics and rarity of the strong 1940s westerly wind event over the Amundsen Sea, West Antarctica G. O'Connor et al. 10.5194/tc-17-4399-2023
- The West Antarctic Ice Sheet may not be vulnerable to marine ice cliff instability during the 21st century M. Morlighem et al. 10.1126/sciadv.ado7794
- The distribution and evolution of surface fractures on pan-Antarctic ice shelves A. Pang et al. 10.1080/17538947.2023.2246436
- Topography reconstruction and evolution analysis of outlet glacier using data from unmanned aerial vehicles in Antarctica G. Qiao et al. 10.1016/j.jag.2023.103186
- Hysteresis of idealized, instability-prone outlet glaciers in response to pinning-point buttressing variation J. Feldmann et al. 10.5194/tc-18-4011-2024
- Extreme precipitation associated with atmospheric rivers over West Antarctic ice shelves: insights from kilometre-scale regional climate modelling E. Gilbert et al. 10.5194/tc-19-597-2025
- Rapid retreat of Thwaites Glacier in the pre-satellite era A. Graham et al. 10.1038/s41561-022-01019-9
- Catastrophic ice shelf collapse along the NW Laurentide Ice Sheet highlights the vulnerability of marine-based ice margins J. England et al. 10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107524
- DiluviumDEM: Enhanced accuracy in global coastal digital elevation models D. Dusseau et al. 10.1016/j.rse.2023.113812
- Amundsen Sea circulation controls bottom upwelling and Antarctic Pine Island and Thwaites ice shelf melting T. Park et al. 10.1038/s41467-024-47084-z
- Exceeding 1.5°C global warming could trigger multiple climate tipping points D. Armstrong McKay et al. 10.1126/science.abn7950
- Antarctic-wide ice-shelf firn emulation reveals robust future firn air depletion signal for the Antarctic Peninsula D. Dunmire et al. 10.1038/s43247-024-01255-4
- Inland migration of near-surface crevasses in the Amundsen Sea Sector, West Antarctica A. Hoffman et al. 10.5194/tc-19-1353-2025
- Basal mass balance and prevalence of ice tongues in the Western ross sea R. Gomez-Fell et al. 10.3389/feart.2023.1057761
- Antarctica in 2025: Drivers of deep uncertainty in projected ice loss H. Fricker et al. 10.1126/science.adt9619
- Nachhaltiges Gesundheitssystem: Wir müssen jetzt handeln! 10.1055/a-1793-4800
1 citations as recorded by crossref.
Discussed (final revised paper)
Latest update: 26 Jul 2025
Short summary
We present a 20-year, satellite-based record of velocity and thickness change on the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf (TEIS), the largest remaining floating extension of Thwaites Glacier (TG). TG holds the single greatest control on sea-level rise over the next few centuries, so it is important to understand changes on the TEIS, which controls much of TG's flow into the ocean. Our results suggest that the TEIS is progressively destabilizing and is likely to disintegrate over the next few decades.
We present a 20-year, satellite-based record of velocity and thickness change on the Thwaites...
