Scientists have used an unmanned submarine to map underwater terrain near a massive melting glacier in West Antarctica for the first time, showing it has the potential to retreat at twice the speed observed by satellites over the past decade.
The Thwaites Glacier, named after glacial geologist Fredrik Turville Thwaites, is known as the "doomsday glacier" in scientific circles because of its potential to significantly raise global sea levels, as well as its vulnerability to rapid melting due to warming ocean water.
