Glacier collapse looms in Antarctica - devastating consequences for German coasts

Created: 01/04/2022, 10:38 AM

From: Lisa Klein

The Thwaites Glacier is about to break.

If it comes to total collapse, the sea level rises by up to 65 centimeters.

This also has consequences for German coastal regions.

Climate change affects everyone - and that could soon become much more noticeable worldwide.

Smaller weather changes are often not perceived as a direct consequence of climate change, whereas catastrophes caused by extreme weather conditions such as floods, heavy rain, hurricanes, widespread fires and periods of drought are more likely.

Something could soon happen that will have noticeable effects worldwide: a glacier collapse is threatened in the Antarctic.

Not only are winters in Germany warmer, but temperatures are also rising in the Arctic * and Antarctica, as

.

For years, less and less ice has formed over the sea, the glaciers in the Antarctic (South Pole) and the Arctic (North Pole) are melting ever faster.

Numerous animals are losing their habitat and are threatened with extinction.

But for us humans, too, the development at the North and South Poles is not insignificant and can even have drastic effects.

Because the less ice, the more water and the higher the sea level.

If the sea level rises rapidly, coastal regions in Germany will also be flooded and coastal strips will sink forever.

Glacier collapse in the Antarctic threatens: global consequences foreseeable

The 192,000 square kilometer Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica plays a huge role in terms of sea level.

So far, the Thwaites Glacier has been considered quite stable.

But now geologists have discovered that the first cracks are showing in the ice shelf, as scientists report at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

The meltwater from this glacier alone is already responsible for around four percent of the world's sea level rise.

Now the ice shelf of the Thwaites Glacier is getting cracks that get deeper and deeper over time and could have devastating consequences.

The Thwaites Glacier threatens to break in the next few years.

Should that happen, the sea level would rise enormously.

(Symbol picture) © Jeremy Harbeck / dpa

The ice shelf is a kind of extension of the glacier into the sea, a floating sheet of ice that makes up a third of the Thwaites Glacier.

The cracks in it are mainly caused by warm sea water.

If the ice shelf breaks and falls into the sea, large parts of the glacier will flow into the sea much faster.

As

reported by

, according to the scientists, the ice could break within the next three to five years.

Glacier collapse threatens: sea level rises by up to 65 centimeters

But the horror scenario goes even further: the weaker the ice shelf, the more warm water can penetrate the glacier and push itself under the glacier.

According to the scientists, this could end in total collapse and detach the glacier from the land mass.

If the Thwaites Glacier collapses, the sea level would rise by up to 65 centimeters, as

reported by

.

However, this scenario should "only" take place in a few centuries and not in the years to come.

But there is more bad news: If the Thwaites Glacier collapses, it could also lead to the loss of other surrounding glaciers.

According to

this could then lead to

a rise in sea level of 3.3 meters.

Glacier collapse in the Antarctic threatens: the consequences for German coastal regions

A climate study by the organization Climate Central and Princeton University has already examined the consequences of a drastic rise in sea levels on all continents.

The focus was on rising sea levels due to climate change.

Even if the climate goal of limiting the man-made rise in temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial times should be achieved, the sea level will rise enormously.

Collapses like that of the Thwaites Glacier further accelerate the ascent.

As

reported by

, according to the climate study *, the continent of Asia is particularly hard hit.

But the rise in sea levels has severe consequences in Germany too: there is a risk of flooding, especially in coastal regions.

Large parts of Sylt and Föhr as well as the Wadden Sea islands of Borkum, Helgoland, Norderney, Juist, Langeoog and Spiekeroog could be submerged in the water in the future.

Bremen, Wilhelmshaven, St. Peter-Ording and large parts of Hamburg would also be affected.

When exactly the glacier collapse will occur in Antarctica remains to be seen.

But noticeable effects can be expected - also in Germany.

The collapse seems unstoppable.