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“Seabed Curtain”: The ambitious plan to halt the melting of the Doomsday Glacier in Antarctica
🇦🇷 Argentina /Environment & Climate

“Seabed Curtain”: The ambitious plan to halt the melting of the Doomsday Glacier in Antarctica

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • A project called "Seabed Curtain" aims to prevent the melting of Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier, also known as the "Doomsday Glacier."
  • The initiative, proposed by the University of the Arctic, involves building a barrier on the seabed to block warm ocean currents from reaching the glacier's base.
  • Thwaites Glacier is crucial as its collapse could raise global sea levels by 65 cm, impacting coastal cities worldwide.

Scientists are pursuing an ambitious plan to halt the melting of Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier, a colossal ice mass also referred to as the "Doomsday Glacier." The "Seabed Curtain" project, initiated in 2024 by the University of the Arctic, proposes constructing a barrier on the ocean floor to impede the flow of warm water that accelerates its demise.

If it collapsed, sea level would rise by 65 cm, causing devastating global impacts on people, marine ecosystems, and coastlines.

— University of the ArcticThis quote highlights the catastrophic consequences of the Thwaites Glacier's potential collapse.

Recent oceanic studies have amplified the project's significance. This mega-structure is designed to prevent warm currents from reaching the glacier's base, a critical factor in its accelerated melting. Thwaites Glacier, a frozen relic of hundreds of thousands of years, is retreating due to global warming. Its complete collapse could lead to a devastating 65 cm rise in global sea levels, posing severe threats to coastal communities and ecosystems.

Located in West Antarctica, Thwaites is the widest glacier on Earth, spanning approximately 120 km, comparable in size to Great Britain or Florida. It represents a global tipping point at risk of collapse due to rising ocean temperatures. The University of the Arctic estimates that current ice loss from Thwaites contributes about 4% to the global sea-level rise.

Reducing warming by decreasing greenhouse gases or managing solar radiation will not be enough to stabilize the ice sheets.

— University of the ArcticThis statement emphasizes the need for direct intervention beyond general climate change mitigation efforts.

An expedition conducted between January and March 2026 by KOPRI gathered crucial long-term measurements of temperature, salinity, currents, and turbulence. These observations are vital for understanding how deep warm waters reach glacial fronts and drive melting beneath ice shelves. Scientists involved in the Seabed Curtain project will present a report on the potential ecological impact of the proposed curtain by September 2026. The curtain itself is designed to be 80 km long and situated at a depth of 600 meters, with a height of 150 meters.

These observations will lay the groundwork for understanding how warm deep waters reach glacial fronts and drive melting under ice shelves.

— Seabed Curtain project websiteThis quote explains the purpose of the recent KOPRI expedition and its contribution to the project's research.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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