Researchers are exploring every possible way to prevent warm ocean currents from approaching and causing glaciers to collapse at an increasingly rapid rate.
If the Thwaites Glacier, also known as the “Doomsday Glacier”, were to collapse, cities like New York, Miami, and New Orleans would face catastrophic flooding. Globally, 97 million people would be affected by the rapidly encroaching waters, threatening their homes, communities, and livelihoods. Currently, the massive ice shelf in Antarctica is blocking warm sea water from reaching other glaciers. If Thwaites were to disappear, it could trigger a massive melting phenomenon that could raise sea levels by as much as 3 meters, reported Business Insider on March 5.
Thwaites Glacier loses significant ice mass each year. (Photo: NASA)
To date, the Thwaites Glacier is contributing 4% to the global sea level rise. Since 2000, Thwaites has lost more than 1,000 billion tons of ice. However, it is not the only glacier facing issues. This is why engineers are striving to find various technological initiatives that could slow the melting rate of glaciers. The latest solution is an underwater curtain. John Moore, a glaciologist and geotechnical researcher at the University of Lapland, wants to install a massive 100 km long curtain underwater to prevent warm sea water from approaching and melting the glacier. However, he needs $50 billion to turn this idea into reality.
One of the main reasons glaciers are melting is due to warm, salty ocean water deep in the ocean. This warm water flows around the sides of the Thwaites Glacier, melting the thick ice that keeps the edge of the shelf from collapsing. As the ocean warms due to climate change, warm currents increasingly erode Thwaites, pushing it closer to the risk of total collapse. Moore and his colleagues are investigating whether they can hang the curtain on the seabed of the Amundsen Sea to slow the melting rate. Theoretically, the curtain could block the warm current flowing towards Thwaites, halt the melting process, and provide time for the glacier to thicken.
This is not the first time Moore has proposed a preventative solution. His curtain idea is based on a similar solution he shared in 2018, which was to block the warm water with a massive wall. However, according to Moore, the curtain is a much safer option. It is effective in blocking warm currents but is much easier to remove when necessary. For instance, if the curtain negatively impacts the local environment, they can take it out and redesign it.
Although Moore and his team still need decades before applying technology to save the Thwaites Glacier, they are currently testing smaller-sized prototypes. Moore’s colleagues at the University of Cambridge are in the early stages of designing and testing prototypes. They may progress to the next phase by summer 2025.
Currently, researchers at the University of Cambridge are testing a nearly one-meter-long version of the technology in a tank. After proving it works, they will move on to testing it in the River Cam by installing it on the riverbed or towing it behind a boat. Their idea is to gradually increase the size of the prototype until there is evidence that the technology is stable enough to be installed in the Arctic. If everything goes according to plan, researchers could test a 10-meter-long prototype curtain in a fjord in Norway within the next two years.
This year’s experiments for the project will cost around $10,000. However, for Moore and his colleagues to confidently install the technology, they will need approximately $10 million. They will require an additional $50 billion to install the curtain in the Amundsen Sea. Data shows that the Thwaites Glacier is melting at an unprecedented rate due to climate change. However, the question of when it will collapse remains contentious among glaciologists. They need to gather better data, but that takes time, while glaciers like Thwaites may not have much time left.
