2022.12.31

The Coming Collapse

Two expeditions to Antarctica's Thwaites Ice Shelf have revealed that it could splinter apart in less than a decade—allowing a vast glacier behind it to slide into the sea

The front face of the Thwaites Ice Shelf towers up to 40 meters above the sea. The slab of floating ice is rapidly weakening. (Photograph by Elizabeth Rush)

The front face of the Thwaites Ice Shelf towers up to 40 meters above the sea. The slab of floating ice is rapidly weakening. (Photograph by Elizabeth Rush)

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