A cause for concern.
A NASA-led study into the disintegration of glaciers in West Antartica has revealed a gigantic cavity two-thirds the area of Manhattan and almost 1,000 feet (300 meters) tall/deep.
NASA has weighed in on the discovery, saying: “The size and explosive growth rate of the newfound hole, however, surprised them. It’s big enough to have contained 14 billion tons of ice.” The space-exploration body also noted that most of the ice had melted in the last three years alone.
The glacier in question, named Thwaites, is roughly the size of the state of Florida, which is to say that it is almost twice the size of Ireland. By itself, Thwaites contains enough ice to raise global sea levels by two feet.
If the glacier were to collapse, scientists are concerned that it would flood coastal cities all over the world. According to a report by NBC, current computer models suggest that this could happen within the next 50-100 years.
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