Thwaites Glacier

Thwaites Glacier is a large glacier in West Antarctica that drains ice into the Amundsen Sea. Its retreat is closely watched because it could contribute substantially to global sea-level rise.

Grounding line: The boundary where a grounded glacier begins to float on seawater. Retreat of this boundary marks how far Thwaites has withdrawn inland.
Sea-level rise: An increase in the average height of the world's oceans relative to land. Thwaites adds to sea level as grounded ice flows into the ocean and melts.
Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf: The relatively coherent floating ice shelf attached to the eastern side of Thwaites Glacier. Its weakening and detachment affect the buttressing of the glacier's inland ice.
Antarctic ice-sheet projections: Scientific estimates of future Antarctic ice loss and its contribution to sea-level rise. Thwaites is a major source of uncertainty in projections of future sea level.
Ice shelf: A floating extension of land ice that remains attached to a glacier or ice sheet. The Thwaites Ice Shelf restrains inland ice, and its weakening reduces that support.
West Antarctic Ice Sheet: The vast body of land ice covering much of West Antarctica. Thwaites is one of its major outlets, and its retreat may affect neighboring drainage basins.
Thwaites Glacier Tongue: The floating, seaward extension of Thwaites Glacier's ice into the Amundsen Sea. Its breakup illustrates the changing forms of floating ice at the glacier front.
Glacial earthquakes: Seismic events caused by sudden movement or fracture of glacier ice. Their occurrence at Thwaites offers clues about changing ice flow and structural instability.
Marine ice-sheet instability: A feedback in which retreat of a marine ice sheet into deeper bedrock can accelerate further retreat. Thwaites rests on bedrock below sea level, making this instability a concern.
Amundsen Sea Embayment: A broad coastal indentation of the Southern Ocean bordering the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Thwaites lies within this rapidly changing sector of the Antarctic coast.

Linked from 11 pages