December 23, 2024

Brighton Journal

Complete News World

Latest news on climate ‘doomsday’ scenarios: Atlantic circulation and ice melt

A range of potential disasters caused by climate change worry scientists, but some scenarios are so dire that experts are constantly monitoring how close we are to disaster.

This week brought some good news about one possible scenario in Antarctica: The so-called “doomsday glacier” may be more stable than previously thought, according to new research published Wednesday.

Thwaites Glacier, located in the vast West Antarctic Ice Sheet, has been called the “Doomsday Glacier” because of its potential to dramatically raise sea levels, flood low-lying coastal communities and displace millions of people.

Meanwhile, scientists continue to track a number of other potential factors that could exacerbate the climate problem. Possible scenarios include the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and the Greenland Ice Sheet, which could radically reshape life on Earth in the coming years, decades or centuries.

Here is the latest news:

Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is seen in this undated image taken by NASA.

‘Doomsday Glacier’: Worst-case scenario unlikely for now

Thwaites Glacier has been studied for many years as an indicator of human-caused climate change.

In one nightmare scenario, melting ice could cause sea levels to rise by 50 feet. The Florida peninsula would be submerged, except for a strip of inland highlands from Gainesville to north of Lake Okeechobee, and the state’s coastal cities would be inundated.