Scientists Urgently Study Antarctica’s “Doomsday Glacier,” Ask Public Not To Make It Weird

ANTARCTICA — Researchers continue monitoring Thwaites Glacier, a massive Antarctic ice formation frequently nicknamed the “Doomsday Glacier,” due to its potential to accelerate major long-term sea level rise if destabilization triggers broader collapse in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.

Scientists describe Thwaites as functioning like a structural “cork,” slowing the movement of surrounding ice toward the sea. The glacier is melting rapidly from below due to warming ocean waters, with research noting underwater currents and “cavities” beneath the ice that may further weaken it.

While the projected impacts unfold over long timescales, scientists have increasingly emphasized that key changes may occur faster than previously assumed, potentially within decades, depending on feedback loops and structural breakdown.

Experts also reiterated that the nickname “Doomsday Glacier” is not a technical term, but a public-facing shorthand meant to convey risk—an approach researchers described as “necessary” given the historical difficulty of convincing humans to care about slow-moving catastrophes until they become coastal zoning disputes.