Geography
Context: Scientists studying Antarctica’s vast Thwaites Glacier say warm water is seeping into its weak spots, worsening melting caused by rising temperatures.
About Thwaites Glacier/ Doomsday Glacier:
- Thwaites Glacier, nicknamed the Doomsday Glacier, is a broad and vast Antarctic glacier flowing into Pine Island Bay.
- It is part of the Amundsen Sea.
- It represents more than half a metre of global sea level rise potential, and could destabilise neighbouring glaciers that have the potential to cause a further three-meter rise.
International Thwaites Collaboration:
- As part of the International Thwaites Glacier collaboration, a team of 13 U.S. and British scientists monitored the glacier using an underwater robot vehicle known as Ice fin.
- It was established in 2018.
- Thwaites Glacier is closely monitored for its potential to raise sea levels.
- Along with the Pine Island Glacier, it has been described as part of the “weak underbelly” of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
Source: The Hindu
Previous Year Question
Q.1) Which one of the lakes of West Africa has become dry and turned into a desert? (2022)
- Lake Victoria
- Lake Faguibine
- Lake Oguta
- Lake Volta
Q.2) The term “Levant” often heard in the news roughly corresponds to which of the following regions? (2022)
- Region along the eastern Mediterranean shores
- Region along North African shores stretching from Egypt to Morocco
- Region along Persian Gulf and Horn of Africa
- The entire coastal Mediterranean Sea of areas
