China News Service, Beijing, February 16 (Reporter Sun Zifa) The internationally renowned academic journal "Nature" recently published two climate change papers. The researchers proposed potential factors that may affect the collapse of the Thwaites Glacier. It will raise the global sea level by more than half a meter.

The results of this study revealed various melting patterns of the glacier, and it is believed that the complex ice-ocean interaction will play a key role in the future direction of Thwaites Glacier.

  According to reports, the Thwaites Glacier belongs to the West Antarctic ice sheet, and its loss of ice may cause the sea level to rise rapidly in the next century; the complete collapse of the Thwaites Glacier is expected to raise the global sea level by about 65 centimeters; its collapse It may also destabilize surrounding glaciers and raise sea levels by another 3 meters in the future.

  In addition, the bedrock on which Thwaites Glacier sits slopes downward toward the coast, making it particularly vulnerable to instability that could lead to rapid and irreversible ice loss.

Ocean conditions, ice sheet melting, and ice flow rates are known to affect the retreat of Thwaites Glacier's grounding line, the point at which a glacier separates from land and begins to float, though exactly how these factors work has been less clear.

  To study the vulnerability of the Thwaites Glacier to collapse, two research teams studied the melting rate and properties of the Thwaites Glacier and the surrounding ocean. An inspection hole drilled at 587 meters.

  The first author and corresponding author of one of the papers, British Antarctic Survey Peter Davis (Peter Davis) and collaborators used a device fixed 1.5 meters below the ice shelf to measure ocean temperature, salinity and temperature over time. temperature, flow rate and melting rate.

They found that there is warm water flowing under the floating ice shelf, and that this warm water is layered with the ice, which inhibits melting.

The findings suggest that the rapid retreat of Thwaites Glacier can occur without large-scale subglacial melt.

  On another paper, first author and corresponding author BE Schmidt of Cornell University and collaborators used an underwater vehicle to measure the same ocean properties, while also measuring the ice beneath a larger area. type.

They found that melting rates were high at the ocean interface, where the ice sheet slopes sharply, and suppressed at the flat interface.

This observation demonstrates the influence of ice topography on ice loss.

  "Nature" also published a "News and Views" article by peer experts at the same time, arguing that the latest research results of the two teams have improved people's understanding of the current state of an important West Antarctic glacier and pointed out the main challenges facing future climate modeling .

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