Scientists and geoengineers are contemplating a bold, $50 billion intervention to arrest the catastrophic melting of the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica, commonly known as the “Doomsday Glacier” due to its potential to raise global sea levels by about 10 feet if it collapsed entirely. This melting titan has already shed over a trillion tons of ice since 2000, posing a direct threat to coastal cities worldwide, from New York to New Orleans.
Therefore, geoengineers are actively seeking solutions to address this significant issue. The most recent solution under consideration is the implementation of underwater curtains. John Moore, a glaciologist and geoengineering researcher at the University of Lapland, intends to deploy extensive underwater curtains spanning a length of 62 miles to obstruct the flow of warm seawater towards the glaciers. These curtains could serve as a temporary blockade, buying time for the Thwaites to re-thicken.
Scientists at the University of Cambridge are currently experimenting with a scaled-down, three-foot-long prototype of this technology in small tanks. After successfully demonstrating the effectiveness of this new approach, they plan to conduct field tests in the River Cam. According to Moore, they will either anchor the curtains to the riverbed or tow them behind a boat. If the initial trials are successful, they aim to deploy a series of 33-foot-long underwater curtains in a Norwegian fjord within the next two years. Moore stated, “We want to know, what could possibly go wrong? And if there’s no solution for it, then in the end, you just have to give up. But there’s also a lot of incentive to try and make it work.”
While the cost of the project is staggering, Moore argues that the potential savings in coastal defenses and the equitable distribution of protection make it a worthwhile investment. He remarked, “Any intervention should be something that you can revert if you have second thoughts,” highlighting the reversible nature of the underwater curtain solution.
While some scientists advocate for immediate action in the face of accelerating ice melt, others contend that drastic reductions in carbon emissions remain the only viable long-term solution. Moore, however, doubts that emissions can be reduced swiftly enough to prevent the Thwaites from reaching a point where “the glacier doesn’t really care anymore about what humans want to do about their emissions.”
Recent research has underlined the complexity of the Thwaites Glacier situation, revealing unexpected patterns of rapid melting in areas with deep cracks and ‘staircase’ formations.
“Despite it being so remote, the consequences of what happens on Thwaites will impact everybody,” remarked Davis, a glaciologist at Carnegie Mellon University.
Relevant articles:
– Scientists want to build 62-mile-long curtains around the ‘doomsday glacier’ for a $50 billion Hail Mary to save it, Business Insider
– Underwater curtains can save the ‘Doomsday glacier’. But there is a massive price tag attached, WION, Mar 6, 2024
– So-called Doomsday Glacier is ‘in trouble,’ scientists say after finding surprising formations under ice shelf, cnn.com