News- Thwaites Glacier is in the news due to scientific concern over its rapid melting and its potential impact on global sea levels.
About Thwaites Glacier
- Thwaites Glacier is widely known as the “Doomsday Glacier” due to its potential to significantly raise global sea levels.
- Location: It is located in West Antarctica and flows into the Amundsen Sea.
- Dimensions: It is the widest glacier on Earth, measuring about 120 kilometres in width and covering nearly 1.9 lakh square kilometres.
- Monitored by: The glacier is monitored by the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration, a multinational scientific research initiative.
- Significance: Thwaites Glacier holds back ice in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, while its ice shelf acts as a brace that slows the flow of ice into the ocean.
